Negative numbers practice
Negative numbers are numbers below zero. Noggli starts with temperatures, which make them feel real, and moves on to calculating with them.
What your child practises
- Year 5count back through zero in context (temperature)
- Year 6find the difference between a negative and a positive number
- Year 6calculate with negative numbers
Mix-ups Noggli looks out for
- Drops the minus sign on answers below zero
- Subtracts to find the gap between a negative and a positive number
Counting through zero
If it is 5°C and the temperature falls by 12 degrees, count down 5 to reach 0, then 7 more to reach −7°C. A number line or a thermometer makes this much easier to see.
The difference between a negative and a positive
From −4°C to 3°C is 4 degrees up to zero, then 3 more: 7 degrees. A common slip is doing 4 − 3 = 1, so Noggli checks for it.
Helping at home
- Draw a vertical number line like a thermometer.
- Talk about real temperatures in winter, or floors below ground in a lift.
- Always split a crossing into "to zero" and "from zero".
Made for children who worry about getting it wrong
A clue, not a cross
A wrong answer gets a clue and another go. A second miss shows how it works, step by step.
No clock
Nothing counts down. Confidence first, speed follows on its own.
The right level
After a few questions Noggli knows where your child is, and every question after that adapts.
Related practice
Questions parents ask
When do children learn negative numbers?
Counting back through zero in context is Year 4 and Year 5. Calculating intervals across zero and using negative numbers is Year 6.
How do you find the difference between −4 and 3?
Count from −4 up to 0 (4 steps), then from 0 to 3 (3 steps). The difference is 7.
Why does my child leave off the minus sign?
Dropping the minus sign is common when an answer goes below zero. Noggli notices and asks whether the answer is above or below zero.
Practise this every day, at the right level
Noggli works out where your child is in every topic and adjusts each question to suit. Free, with no timers, no scores and no child accounts.