Cambridge Starters: Numbers 1-20 and Classroom Objects

Numbers and classroom objects appear in almost every Cambridge YLE Starters exam. Children need to count, recognise number words, and name the things around them in class. This guide gives you vocabulary tables, four exam-style exercises, speaking practice, and games you can play at home or on a device.

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Why Numbers and Classroom Objects Matter in the Starters Exam

In the Starters exam, children must:

• Listen and write numbers (Listening Part 1 and Part 4)
• Read number words in short texts (Reading Part 1 and Part 4)
• Name classroom objects in the Speaking test when shown a scene card
• Spell simple words correctly in Reading and Writing

Practising these topics together is smart because counting classroom objects covers both areas at once.

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Vocabulary Section 1: Numbers 1-20

Learn the word form of every number. In the exam, children read and write words, not just digits.

Tip for parents: Point to objects around the house and ask "How many?" Let your child count aloud and then say the number word before writing it.

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Vocabulary Section 2: Ordinal Numbers (Basics)

Cambridge Starters introduces first, second, and third in some picture tasks and simple texts.

Children do not need to write all ordinals from memory, but they should recognise first, second, and third when they read them.

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Vocabulary Section 3: Classroom Objects

These objects appear on Starters scene cards and in short reading texts.

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Vocabulary Section 4: Colours Review

Colours link numbers and objects together. Children often describe "three red pencils" or "two blue books."

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Exercise 1: Count and Write (Starters Listening Part 1 Style)

In this exercise, a parent or teacher reads the sentence aloud. The child listens and writes the number word.

Instructions for parents: Read each sentence once. Your child writes the missing number word.

"There are ___ cats in the picture." (Read: "There are nine cats in the picture.")

"I can see ___ books on the desk." (Read: "I can see twelve books on the desk.")

"The girl has ___ pencils in her bag." (Read: "The girl has five pencils in her bag.")

"There are ___ chairs in the classroom." (Read: "There are fifteen chairs in the classroom.")

"He counts ___ birds in the tree." (Read: "He counts seven birds in the tree.")

Answer key: 1. nine 2. twelve 3. five 4. fifteen 5. seven

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Exercise 2: Unscramble the Classroom Objects

Rearrange the letters to make a classroom object word. Write the correct word on the line.

enpilc = ___________

kobo = ___________

rlure = ___________

gba = ___________

sared = ___________

sked = ___________

iarch = ___________

pper = ___________

roabd = ___________

npe = ___________

Answer key: 1. pencil 2. book 3. ruler 4. bag 5. eraser 6. desk 7. chair 8. paper 9. board 10. pen

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Exercise 3: Fill in the Blank with Number Words (Starters Reading Part 4 Style)

Choose the correct number word from the box and write it in the blank.

Word box: two / five / ten / thirteen / twenty

There are ___ children in our class. They all have bags.

I have ___ books. One is red and one is blue.

She can count to ___. She says: one, two, three ... ten.

My pencil case has ___ pencils inside.

He has ___ stickers. That is a lot!

Answer key: 1. twenty 2. two 3. ten 4. five 5. thirteen

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Exercise 4: True or False? (Starters Reading Part 1 Style)

Read the short story. Write T (True) or F (False) for each sentence.

Story:

Tom is in the classroom. He has two books and five pencils. There are twelve children in the class. The teacher has one big ruler. There are four windows in the room.

Tom has five books. ___

There are twelve children. ___

Tom has five pencils. ___

The teacher has two rulers. ___

There are four windows. ___

Answer key: 1. F 2. T 3. T 4. F 5. T

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Speaking Practice: "How Many?" Questions

In the Starters Speaking test, the examiner shows a picture and asks children to describe it. Practise these question and answer patterns at home.

Pattern 1: How many...?

• "How many pencils are there?" -- "There are six pencils."
• "How many books can you see?" -- "I can see three books."
• "How many children are in the picture?" -- "There are ten children."

Pattern 2: What colour is / are...?

• "What colour is the bag?" -- "The bag is red."
• "What colour are the pencils?" -- "The pencils are yellow."

Pattern 3: Where is...?

• "Where is the ruler?" -- "The ruler is on the desk."
• "Where is the book?" -- "The book is in the bag."

Practice tip: Use picture books at home. Ask your child to count objects on each page and describe them using colour and number.

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Interactive Game and App Ideas

These ideas work on tablets, phones, or computers. You can search for free versions online or in your app store.

1. Tap to Count Look for apps where a picture fills the screen with animals, objects, or shapes. The child taps each one to count, then says the number out loud. The app confirms the answer. This mirrors the Starters Listening counting tasks perfectly.

2. Number Word Quiz with Audio Apps that show a number (for example, 14) and play the word "fourteen" aloud. The child listens and chooses the matching word card. Good for connecting the digit with the written word.

3. Classroom Object Flashcard Apps Search for Cambridge YLE Starters flashcard apps or use a free tool like Quizlet. Type in the classroom vocabulary list from this post and practise matching, spelling, and pronunciation.

4. Voice Counting Games Some apps respond to voice. Set up a counting challenge: the app shows a group of objects and the child says the number aloud. This builds the speaking confidence needed for the oral exam.

Screen time tip: Keep app sessions to 10-15 minutes. Follow up with a physical activity from the home games section below.

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Home Games

Game 1: Number Bingo

You need: Paper, pencil, and two players.

How to play:

Each player draws a 4x4 grid and writes any 16 numbers from 1 to 20 in the boxes (one number per box).

The caller picks a number from 1 to 20 and says the number word aloud (not the digit).

Players cross off the number if they have it.

First player to cross off a full row, column, or diagonal shouts "Bingo!"

Learning boost: The caller must say the word, not the digit. This forces both players to think about number words.

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Game 2: Count the Room

You need: Just your home and your voice.

How to play:

Choose a category: chairs, books, windows, doors, shoes, cups, etc.

Your child walks around the home and counts every item in that category.

They report back: "There are seven chairs in our home."

Challenge them to count two things and compare: "There are more books than chairs."

Extension: Write the number word on a sticky note and stick it near the counted objects.

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Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Mistake 1: Missing the plural 's'

• Wrong: "I have 5 pencil."
• Right: "I have 5 pencils."

When the number is 2 or more, the noun needs an -s. Remind children: "More than one? Add an 's'!"

Mistake 2: Mixing up teen numbers

• Children often confuse "thirteen" and "thirty," or "fifteen" and "fifty."
• At Starters level, numbers only go to 20, so focus on the -teen endings: thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen.

Mistake 3: Writing the digit instead of the word

• In Starters Reading and Writing tasks, children must write the word, not the number.
• Wrong: "There are 8 dogs."
• Right: "There are eight dogs."

Mistake 4: Forgetting "are" vs "is"

• "There is one cat." (singular)
• "There are two cats." (plural)

Practise this pattern with real objects every day.

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What's Next?

Once your child is confident with numbers 1-20 and classroom objects, move on to these topics:

• Animals -- the most common Starters vocabulary topic
• Colours and clothes -- combining colour + number + noun
• Family members -- "She has two sisters and one brother."
• Toys -- great for counting practice with real objects at home

You can also move up to Cambridge YLE Movers when your child can complete all four exercises above without help and speak in full sentences using numbers and classroom words.

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Quick Reference Card (Cut Out and Keep)

Numbers: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty

Classroom objects: pen, pencil, book, ruler, bag, eraser, desk, chair, board, paper

Key pattern: "There are [number] [objects] in the [place]."

Practise a little every day. Five minutes of counting games beats one long study session for children aged 5-8.