K.CC.3: Write Numbers 0 to 20
Also written as K.CC.A.3 and CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.CC.A.3 · Cluster: Know number names and the count sequence.
The Official Wording
Write numbers from 0 to 20. Represent a number of objects with a written numeral 0-20 (with 0 representing a count of no objects).
Common Core State Standards, Kindergarten, Counting & Cardinality · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026
What K.CC.3 Means in Plain English
Kindergartners form each numeral from 0 to 20 and, more importantly, use it: count 12 buttons and write 12 beside them. The numeral stands for the set. Zero gets its own job here, the symbol you write when the cup is empty.
Reversed digits are normal at five and six, so the standard is about meaning more than penmanship. Reading and writing numerals continues to 120 in 1st grade (1.NBT.1), and the teen numerals get their place-value sense in K.NBT.1, where 14 is ten and four more.
K.CC.3 I Can Statements
- I can write the numbers 0 to 20.
- I can count a group of objects and write how many.
- I can write 0 when there is nothing to count.
K.CC.3 Worked Example
A pile of buttons counted, then written as a numeral, with the empty cup that gets a zero.
There are 12 buttons on the table and an empty cup beside them. Write how many buttons there are, and how many are in the cup.
- Line the buttons up so none get counted twice, then touch and count.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
- The last number said is how many. Say it: twelve.12 buttons
- Write the numeral for twelve: a 1, then a 2, in that order.12
- Look in the cup. Nothing to count means zero, and zero has a numeral too.0
- Read both numerals back and match them to the objects.12 buttons, 0 in the cup
Check it: Count the buttons again from the other end. If the last number is still 12, the numeral is right.
Common Mistakes with K.CC.3
Reversing the teen digits
Twelve written as 21, or fourteen as 41
Try this: Say the teen number as “one ten and two” while writing, so the 1 goes down first and the 2 follows.
Writing the numeral without counting
A row of 9 stars labeled 7, because 7 is a favorite numeral
Try this: Ask for the count out loud first, then have the child write the last number they said, nothing else.
Leaving zero blank
An empty box gets no numeral at all, or a 1 “because there is one box”
Try this: Show an empty cup next to a cup with one button and write 0 and 1 under them side by side.
Where K.CC.3 Fits
Practice K.CC.3
Quick Check
- There are seven pencils in the jar. Write the numeral.
- Write the numeral for fifteen.
- Mr. Ortiz holds up an empty basket and asks how many apples are inside. What numeral do you write?