Learning Worksheets Tracing Numbers 11–20 Number 13
Free printable PDF · ages 4–6
Number 13 Tracing Worksheet (Thirteen)
Thirteen is the first “teen” number, and its name follows a pattern: thir-teen means three and ten. Your child traces the dashed 13, reads the word thirteen and counts thirteen fish swimming in two rows.
What’s on the number 13 worksheet
A dashed 13 with arrows, the word thirteen, ten frames showing 10 + 3, four tracing rows and 13 fish to count and colour.
Prints on A4 or US Letter (choose “Fit to page”).
How to write 13
Make the 1 first. For the 3, start near the top left, curve round to the middle like a little bump, then curve out again for a bigger bump at the bottom, finishing near the bottom left. Two bumps, both facing right.
Ten and three
Children hear “thir” first, but the 3 is written second. That is why many write 31 when they mean 13. Show them that the ten always comes first on paper: one ten in the left frame, three ones in the right.
What to watch for
Mixing up 13 and 31 is the classic mistake at this stage. If you see it, build both numbers with counters side by side and ask which one has more. The difference is huge, and children remember it.
Counting idea for thirteen
Draw a simple pond with chalk outside and place thirteen pebbles or leaves inside as fish. Count ten into one corner, then three into the other. Ask: how many in the corner, how many altogether?
Game: Gone fishing
Cut thirteen paper fish, number them 1 to 13 and clip a paper clip to each. Make a rod from a stick, string and a fridge magnet. Your child catches the fish in order from 1 to 13, saying each number as it comes out of the pond.
Where you see 13
A baker’s dozen (thirteen rolls or cookies), page 13 in a picture book, and the age a child becomes a teenager.
Practise next
Try number 12 and number 14, then check your counting on the free number charts.
Number 13 questions
Why do children write 31 instead of 13?
Because they write the digits in the order they hear them: “three”, then “teen”. It is a normal stage. Showing the ten frames and saying “one ten, three ones” while writing fixes it over time.
What does “teen” mean in thirteen?
It is an old form of the word ten. Thirteen means three and ten, fourteen means four and ten, and so on up to nineteen.
More answers in the numbers 11 to 20 FAQ.
More Free Number Tracing Worksheets
Also try: numbers 1 to 10 · number charts · shapes worksheets