The Number Zero — Nothing Before God Created

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty." — Genesis 1:1-2

Before God Created

Before God made anything — before the light, before the sky, before the land, before the animals, before people — there was... nothing. Well, there was God! God has always existed. But there were no trees, no stars, no fish, no flowers. The number of trees was zero. The number of animals was zero. The number of people was zero.

That is what zero means: none. Nothing. Not any.

What Does Zero Look Like?

The numeral 0 looks like an egg or a circle that is a little bit tall. It is round and smooth with no corners.

But here is something surprising: zero is a very important number! Even though it means "nothing," we need it. Without zero, we could not write the number 10, or 20, or 100! Zero helps us keep track of how our numbers work.

Let Us Explore Zero

Here is a fun way to understand zero. Put 3 blocks on the table. Count them: one, two, three.

Now take one away. How many are left? Count: one, two. You have 2.

Take another one away. How many now? Count: one. You have 1.

Take the last one away. How many blocks are on the table now? Zero! There are no blocks at all. The table is empty. That is zero.

``` Counting down to zero:

[] [] [] --> 3 blocks [] [] --> 2 blocks [] --> 1 block (empty) --> 0 blocks! ```

Let us try another way. Hold up your hand in a fist with no fingers showing. How many fingers are up? Zero. None. Now hold up one finger. That is 1. See how zero comes right before one?

Zero on the Number Line

Numbers live on a special line called a number line. It looks like this:

``` 0---1---2---3---4---5---6---7---8---9---10 ^ | Zero comes first! ```

See how zero comes first? It is the starting point! When we count, we usually start at 1, but the number line starts at 0 because before we have anything, we have none.

Draw a number line on paper. Start with 0 on the left side and write each number going to the right all the way to 10. Put a dot for each number and connect them with a line.

Zero in Real Life

Zero shows up in real life too!

• If you eat all your grapes, you have 0 grapes left.
• If no birds are in the tree, there are 0 birds.
• If you have not read any books today, you have read 0 books.
• Before God created, there were 0 created things.

Zero is not a bad number. It just means "not yet" or "none right now." And sometimes zero reminds us of how amazing God is — He started with nothing and made EVERYTHING!

Counting from Zero

Let us count from zero all the way to ten:

Zero, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten!

That is eleven numbers in all (0 through 10). You know all of them now!

A Game with Zero

Play this game with a parent or friend. Put some blocks on the table (between 0 and 10). Sometimes put NO blocks — zero! The other person has to count and say the number.

Take turns. Can you trick each other with zero? Remember, zero is a real answer!

Writing Zero

Practice writing the numeral 0:

• Start at the top
• Curve to the left
• Go down
• Curve to the right
• Come back to the top

It is a smooth, round shape — like the letter O but a little taller. Write it five times. Say "zero" each time you write it.

God Started with Nothing

Here is the most amazing thing about God: He did not need any materials. He did not need blocks or tools or paint. He started with zero things and created the entire universe! That is what makes God so powerful. He can make something from nothing.

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). Before that beginning, the count of created things was zero. After God spoke? The count became more than anyone could ever number!

A Prayer

Dear God, You are so amazing. You started with nothing — zero! — and made everything we see. The sun, the stars, the oceans, the animals, and me. Thank You for making something beautiful out of nothing. Help me remember that zero is where counting begins. Amen.