Ordinal numbers describe where something sits in an order, and first grade is when children move from reciting 'first, second, third' as a memorized rhyme to using the whole set, first through tenth, to answer a real question. The hard part is rarely the words themselves; it is matching a word like sixth to the counting number 6, and making that match in both directions without recounting from the very start every time. This worksheet draws a line of animals, with the first one on the left, so a position has a concrete meaning rather than being an abstract label.
Some questions ask which animal stands at a named place; others point at an animal and ask for its place; a few ask how many animals are in front of, behind or between, which quietly practices subtraction inside a familiar picture. Shorter lines come first and the line grows to ten on the harder pages. Watch for a child who counts the picture correctly but writes the wrong ordinal word, such as saying 'four' instead of 'fourth'; that mix-up is common and is worth a gentle correction rather than a mark against understanding of position.
What your child will learn
Name the ordinal position of an animal in a line, first through tenth
Find which animal stands at a named position
Match ordinal words such as seventh to the number 7, and back again
Use a position to find how many are in front of, behind or between
Worked example
In a line of animals, the cat, dog, duck, pig and cow stand from left to right. The duck is third. That means two animals, the cat and the dog, stand in front of it.
Common mistake
Saying the counting number instead of the ordinal word, such as 'six' instead of 'sixth', or starting the count from zero instead of one.
Helpful hint
Point to each animal starting from the left and count out loud: first, second, third.
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