Which numbers are used?

To 10 and 20 for new entrants, to 100 for Years 1 and 2, and to 1000 for Year 3.

Why are some pairs so close?

Many pairs differ by a little or share digits, like 47 and 74, so children compare tens before ones instead of guessing.

Are some pairs equal?

Yes, a few in each sheet, so = gets used too.

Comparing Numbers Worksheets: Greater Than, Less Than, Equal To

Place value in action

Comparing two-digit numbers is really a place value question: which has more tens? Pair this page with place value worksheets.

In the New Zealand Curriculum

First 6 monthsOrdering numbers to 20 from smallest to largest.
Year 2Deciding whether number statements using =, < and > are true or false, with numbers up to 120.
Year 3Comparing and ordering whole numbers up to 1,000 by the value of each digit.
Year 5Using >, < and = in number sentences and on a number line, with numbers up to a million.

The refreshed curriculum treats these symbols as part of algebra as well as number: children decide whether a statement is true, not only which number is bigger. After a sheet, have ākonga read a few answers aloud as full sentences, “63 is greater than 36”, and ask the class whether each one is true.

The 1000 range lines up with Year 3, when numbers to 1,000 come in. The maker stops there, so the larger numbers of Years 4 and 5 need another source.

Summarised in our own words from the New Zealand Curriculum: Mathematics and Statistics, Years 0–8 (in effect from 2025), and the Ministry of Education’s year-by-year guide for parents and whānau.