Valentine’s Day is the perfect time of year to teach greater than and less than! These fun math activities and worksheets will make teaching this topic fun and engaging for kindergarten and first-grade students. All of the activities shown are available to download, print, and use immediately making your lesson plans a piece of cake!

Teaching Greater Than and Less Than

Greater than, less than is a foundational math skill for for developing strong number sense in children. It helps them understand the relationships between numbers, which is a critical skill for comparing quantities, solving problems, and grasping more advanced math concepts later on, such as ordering numbers, working with inequalities, and performing operations.

This skill is usually introduced in kindergarten with numbers to 20 and using pictures and continues to be taught in upper grades. Students use the greater than (>), less than (<) and equal symbol (=) to compare numbers and quantities.

Greater Than 10, Less Than 10 Craft

This fun math craft is perfect for Valentine’s Day and also gives students a chance to practice cutting. Simply, print and cut out the “Greater Than 10” and “Less Than 10 ” candy jars and glue them to a large piece of construction paper.

Next, students will color and cut apart the number hearts. They will decide if each number is greater than or less than 10  and glue it in the correct candy jar. A number line can also be a helpful math tool for this activity!

Comparing Candy Hearts

This activity is perfect for a math center! Students will count the hearts in each jar and compare the numbers using the <,>, or = sign. I recommend printing the cards on white cardstock and laminating them so students can complete them with a dry erase marker.

Greater Than, Less Than Math Worksheets

Worksheets are a great way to assess student’s understanding of math concepts. These worksheets are quick to print and use!

Comparing Cookies Worksheet

Students will count the sprinkles on each cookie. On one worksheet students will color the cookie with the greatest number of sprinkles. On the other worksheet students will color the cookie with the least number of sprinkles.

Comparing Candy Hearts Worksheet

On this worksheet students will write the number of hearts in each jar and compare the numbers using the <,>, or = sign.

Count and Compare the Room Activity

This is the perfect activity for students to practice counting and comparing numbers to 20! First, print and cut the 8 counting cards. Tape the cards around your classroom or put them in a station bin. Each card is labeled with a letter of the alphabet that corresponds to the response sheet.

Next, students will find each card and count the objects in each set. Students will write the corresponding numbers on their response sheet and compare the numbers using the <,>, or = sign. An an answer key is also included for students to check their work!

If you love activities that get your students up and moving around the classroom check out, Kindergarten Count and Write the Room Activities.

Valentine’s Day Activities for Kindergarten

Looking for more Valentine’s Day activities for kindergarten students? Check out these fun ideas!

Valentine’s Day Math Ideas

Valentine’s Day Pocket Chart Activities for Preschool and Kindergarten

Valentine Greater Than, Less Than Math

Adding these fun Valentine math activities and worksheets to your lesson plans will help your students understand greater than and less than. All of the activities shown in this post are available in this product: Valentine’s Day Greater Than, Less Than Worksheets and Activities. Happy teaching and Happy Valentine’s Day!