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Negative Numbers: Count Back Through Zero with Pip

Negative Numbers

Count Back Through Zero with Pip

Learn what negative numbers are and how to count back through zero, by hopping along an ice number line, reading a thermometer and riding a hotel lift.

  • Ages 7–10
  • About 15 min
  • 3 chapters + quiz
  • Easy start
  • Numbers
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What's inside

  1. Ice Line
  2. Big Freeze
  3. Hotel Lift
  4. Ice Quest 6 questions

What you'll learn

  • What negative numbers are and where they sit on a number line
  • How to count back through zero: 1, 0, −1, −2
  • What the minus sign in front of a number means
  • How to read temperatures below 0 °C on a thermometer
  • That water freezes at 0 °C, the freezing point
  • How floors below the ground floor are numbered −1, −2, −3

About this adventure

Negative Numbers with Pip is a free interactive game that teaches children aged 7–10 to count back through zero into negative numbers, matching the Year 4 maths curriculum. Pip the penguin speaks every step, and short on-screen instructions show exactly what to tap or drag.

Children build an ice number line block by block, then uncover mystery blocks to the left of zero: −1, −2 and −3. Next they drag a thermometer below 0 °C and watch a pond freeze over. After that they ride a hotel lift from the ground floor (floor 0) down to basement floors.

Along the way they meet the key ideas: negative numbers are less than zero, and the minus sign in front of a number means negative. Counting back one step always gives a number one smaller. A six-question Ice Quest at the end checks what they have learned.

Questions and answers

What are negative numbers, in simple words?

Negative numbers are numbers less than zero, such as −1, −2 and −3. On a number line they sit to the left of zero, and we write them with a minus sign in front.

What comes after zero when you count back?

When you count back from zero, the next number is −1, then −2, then −3. So counting back from 2 goes 2, 1, 0, −1, −2, with the numbers getting smaller each time.

Where do children see negative numbers in real life?

Children see negative numbers on thermometers when it is colder than 0 °C, and on lift buttons for floors below the ground, such as a car park on floor −1. The game uses both of these settings.

What age is this negative numbers game for?

The game is designed for children aged 7 to 10. It matches the Year 4 maths objective in England to count backwards through zero to include negative numbers, and older children can use it for quick revision.

What does the game include and how long does it take?

The game has three guided chapters, an ice number line, a thermometer and a hotel lift, plus a six-question Ice Quest. Playing everything takes about 15 minutes, and Pip reads every instruction aloud.

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