Cardinal Numbers tell you how many there is. One, Two, Three, etc.

Ordinal Numbers tell you the order that they are in. First, Second, Third, etc.

 

For example:

CARDINAL: There are three people running in the race.

ORDINAL: Sam finished in second place.

 

The concept of numbers and ordering into first, second and so on will be introduced at Early Level, but the terms “Cardinal” and “Ordinal” may not be first introduced until much later.

 

CURRICULUM LINK:

I have explored numbers,
understanding that they
represent quantities, and
I can use them to count,
create sequences and
describe order.
MNU 0-02a