Predecessors and Successors

Predecessors and successors are important concepts in mathematics that are often used in various fields such as computer science, engineering, and business. Understanding these terms is essential for building a strong foundation in mathematics.

These terms are used for a series of whole numbers. The number that appears just before the given number in a series is called Predecessor.

The number that appears just after the given number in a series is called Successor.

Predecessor is a number that comes before another number, and it is one less than that number. The predecessor of any given number is obtained by subtracting 1 from the given number.

For example : The Predecessor of 68 is 68 – 1 = 67, similarly predecessors of the numbers 10, 15, and 20 are 9, 14, and 19, respectively.

After kids understand the concept of a predecessor, introduce the concept of the successor. A successor is a number that comes after another number, and it is one more than that number. The successor of any given number is obtained by adding 1 to the given number.

For example : The Successor of 68 is 68 + 1 = 69. Similarly, successors of the numbers 10, 15, and 20 are 11, 16, and 21, respectively.

Kids can easily relate to real-life examples. For instance, if a student is born in the year 2020, then their successor would be the year 2021, which comes after 2020 and the predecessor of the year 2020 would be the year 2019.

Posters

Teaching predecessors and successors with kid friendly, clear, and easy to understand posters from Uncle Math by Fun2Do Labs :

Activities

Learning predecessors and successors can be made enjoyable by incorporating interactive games and activities.

Jigsaw Puzzle :

There are puzzle pieces of 2-digit numbers along with P and S pieces.
The level of the game is decided as per the age of the child; initially, 2-digit numbers can be taken.
Kids can be instructed to make sets of predecessors and successors arranging numbers with the correct P or S piece.