1st grade greater than, less than worksheets
Greater than, less than worksheets give first graders pairs of two-digit numbers with a circle between them; your child writes <, >, or =. The skill is comparing by place value, tens digits first, then ones, not guessing from how the numbers look.
Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core 1.NBT.B.3.
Each print is a different sheet with its own answer key. You don't need to sign up.
Need one more? These are the skills next door at this grade.
The kind of problems you'll get
Write <, >, or = in each empty place.
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23 25
Answer: <
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11 30
Answer: <
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52 51
Answer: >
Every print pulls a fresh set of problems at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.
What's on a 1st grade sheet
- Compare numbers. Write <, >, or = in each empty place. 12 problems per page.
Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key after the problems.
How to teach this
Have your child underline the tens digits and compare those first, saying it aloud: "4 tens, 6 tens, so 46 is less." For the symbol, the old alligator trick works fine: the mouth opens toward the bigger meal. Save the ones digits for pairs where the tens match.
Watch for: Kids compare the ones digits first because that's where adding starts. Comparing works the other way, from the biggest place down. Kids write the symbol backwards, like 46 > 64. The open side always faces the bigger number, no matter which side it is on.
Common questions about 1st grade greater than, less than
- How do I help my child remember which way < and > point?
- The open side always faces the bigger number, and many kids remember it as a mouth eating the bigger meal. A few days of saying it aloud makes it stick.
- What numbers are on the first grade sheets?
- Pairs of two-digit numbers, compared using tens and ones per the first grade standard. Each print generates a fresh set of pairs.
Related worksheets
- 2nd grade greater than, less than A step harder, same skill
- 1st grade counting to 120 Same grade, nearby skill
- 1st grade ordering numbers Same grade, nearby skill
- 1st grade skip counting to 100 Same grade, nearby skill
- 1st grade ten more, ten less Same grade, nearby skill
- Greater than, less than, all grades The full progression
- All 1st grade math worksheets Every skill at this level
- All 1st grade worksheets Everything at this level
- Math symbols chart Reference chart · 1st grade to 6th grade
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Aligned to Common Core 1.NBT.B.3. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 240, updated September 2026.
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