Number Formation: How To Write Every Number From 0 To 9

How Each Number Is Formed

What Is Number Formation?

Number formation is the sequence of movements used to write a numeral: the start point, the direction and any pencil lifts. Legible, correctly formed numerals matter in maths as much as letters do in English, because a badly formed 1 or 7 changes an answer.

The rules are the same as for letter formation. Start in the right place, move in the right direction and finish cleanly.

How Is Each Number Formed?

Each card gives the start, the movement and a common mistake. Schemes differ on a few numerals, especially 1, 4, 7 and 9, so follow your school's model.

How To Write The Number 0

Start at the top and curl round anticlockwise, closing where you began.

Common mistake: starting at the bottom or going clockwise.

How To Write The Number 1

Start at the top and go straight down. Some schools add a short flag at the top left.

Common mistake: starting at the bottom, or adding a base line that makes it look like an I.

How To Write The Number 2

Start at the top, curve over to the right and slide down to the bottom left. Then go straight across the base.

Common mistake: a curve that turns back on itself, which produces a backwards 2.

How To Write The Number 3

Start at the top and curve out to the right. Come back in to the middle, then curve out again and round to the base.

Common mistake: bumps that face left, which makes a backwards 3.

How To Write The Number 4

Start at the top and go down and across to the right. Lift, then draw a line down through the horizontal. Some schools close the top with a diagonal.

Common mistake: the second line stopping short of the first.

How To Write The Number 5

Start at the top and go down, then curve round to the bottom. Lift, then add the short line across the top last. Oak National Academy teaches 5 in one movement instead, so follow your school's model.

Common mistake: adding the top line first, or reversing the curve.

How To Write The Number 6

Start at the top and curve down and round into a loop at the bottom.

Common mistake: drawing the loop first, or turning 6 into a 9.

How To Write The Number 7

Start at the top left, go across to the right, then slide down diagonally. Some schools add a short crossbar.

Common mistake: starting at the bottom, or reversing the diagonal.

How To Write The Number 8

Start near the top right and curve left, then snake down and back up to close the second loop.

Common mistake: drawing two separate circles, which leaves a gap where they meet.

How To Write The Number 9

Draw a circle at the top, starting like a c, then go straight down.

Common mistake: a tail that curls the wrong way, which makes a g.

Why Do Children Write Numbers Backwards?

Children reverse numerals while they learn to write. The NHS Berkshire guidance names 2, 3, 5 and 7 as the numbers most often reversed, and says children often write 6 instead of 9. Numerals that face left, such as 3, are reversed more often, according to the British Psychological Society.

The reason is that a child's brain treats an object as the same object whichever way it faces, and letters and numerals are among the first things where direction matters. It takes time to learn. Dyslexia UK says it is normal for children to confuse mirrored letters up to age 7 or 8.

To help, teach the start point for each numeral, say the movement as it is written, and trace it in the way it is written, not just over the outline. NHS advice suggests using sandpaper, playdough or a blackboard. See letter reversals for ages and when to ask for advice.

Which Way Should 7, 4 And 1 Be Written?

Schools differ, and the same numeral can be written correctly in more than one way. The table shows the variants children will meet.

How Should Children Write Numbers In Maths Books?

Ask your child's teacher what the maths book expects. In squared books, one digit per square is common, with each numeral sitting in its square and touching the base of it. The tool's squared-paper mode shows the numerals at that size.

For numbers above 9, the two digits should sit side by side with a small gap. Switch on the 10 to 20 toggle to practise.

How Can Children Practise Number Formation?

Short, frequent practice works. The DfE writing framework says handwriting teaching should be daily, in small steps and demonstrated by the teacher, and the same applies to numerals.

• Watch and copy. Play the number on the whiteboard and say the movement together.
• Trace on a tablet. The tool checks the start point and direction.
• Write it big. Use sky writing, chalk or a finger in a tray.
• Say a rhyme. See number formation rhymes.
• Print a sheet. Make one with handwriting worksheets, on lines or squared paper.

Use sheets after the movement has been shown, and stay nearby while children write.

When Do Children Learn To Form Numbers?

In England, the National Curriculum asks Year 1 pupils to "form digits 0-9". Year 2 pupils write capital letters and digits of the correct size, orientation and relationship to one another and to lower-case letters. Many children begin writing numerals in Reception, alongside counting.

See handwriting and the National Curriculum for the full wording and handwriting in the EYFS for Reception.