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Counting Worksheets

23 free PDFsUS Letter or A4Answer key includedNo login

Count objects to 20, count on, fill in missing numbers, skip count by 2s, 5s and 10s, and find and color numbers, with answer keys.

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About these counting worksheets

These kindergarten counting worksheets cover the whole counting year, from counting to 10 with shapes in a row to counting to 100 by tens. Children count groups and write how many, circle the matching number, draw a set of dots, and color exactly as many shapes as a number says. Every sheet with right answers comes with an answer key on page 2.

Counting in kindergarten is really three skills. Children learn the counting words in order (one, two, three … up to 100), they match one number to each object so the last number they say tells how many, and they learn to start from any number instead of always going back to 1. The counting on, before and after, and missing numbers pages practice that last skill, which is the one children need most for adding later.

The set also includes skip counting worksheets for counting by 2s, 5s and 10s, each with a small number chart to read from, and number recognition worksheets where children find and circle a number in a row or color a number, read its number word and fill a ten frame. Together they make a full set of kindergarten numbers worksheets that print in black and white on US Letter or A4.

Standards

  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.CC.A.1Count to 100 by ones and by tens.
  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.CC.A.2Count forward beginning from a given number within the known sequence (instead of having to begin at 1).
  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.CC.A.3Write numbers from 0 to 20. Represent a number of objects with a written numeral 0-20 (with 0 representing a count of no objects).
  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.CC.B.4Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities; connect counting to cardinality.
  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.CC.B.4.CUnderstand that each successive number name refers to a quantity that is one larger.
  • CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.CC.B.5Count to answer “how many?” questions about as many as 20 things arranged in a line, a rectangular array, or a circle, or as many as 10 things in a scattered configuration; given a number from 1-20, count out that many objects.

How to use them

  1. Start with Count and Write 1–10 and Count and Circle 1–10. Have your child touch each shape as they say its number, then ask, “So how many are there?”
  2. Use the two How Many? pages once counting in a row is easy. Scattered shapes are harder because children have to keep track of which ones they have already counted.
  3. Move to 11–20 when your child can count 10 objects reliably. The shapes sit in rows and rectangles, which makes larger groups easier to keep track of.
  4. Do Before and After, Counting On and Missing Numbers out loud first. Say the given number, then count on together before your child writes.
  5. Use Count by Tens and the skip counting pages as a daily warm-up: read the gray numbers on the chart together, then fill in the boxes.
  6. Keep the find the number and color the number pages for quick number recognition practice, especially with numbers your child mixes up.

Teaching tips

  • Watch for skipping or double-counting objects. Ask your child to cross out or touch each shape as they count it.
  • The last number said tells how many. If your child counts “one, two, three, four” and then answers “one, two, three, four” to “how many?”, model saying “four, there are four.”
  • Counting on means starting from a number without going back to 1. If 7 is in the gray box, say “seven” and keep going: eight, nine, ten.
  • Common mix-ups: 6 and 9, 2 and 5, and teen numbers written backward, like 41 for 14. The find the number pages include these on purpose so you can see which ones need practice.
  • For differentiation, cover part of a sheet for children who need less, or ask early finishers to say one more and one less for every number they write.
  • Children who are not yet writing numbers can say the answer or point to it on a number line while you write it.

Questions teachers and parents ask

How high should a kindergartner be able to count?

By the end of kindergarten, children are expected to count to 100 by ones and by tens, count up to 20 objects to tell how many, and write numbers from 0 to 20. Most children start the year counting to 10 or 20 and build from there.

What is counting on?

Counting on means starting from a given number instead of starting at 1. If you say “12,” your child continues “13, 14, 15.” It is a key step toward adding, because adding 3 to 12 is just counting on three more.

Is skip counting a kindergarten skill?

Counting by tens to 100 is part of the kindergarten standards. Counting by 2s and 5s usually comes in first grade, but many kindergartners enjoy it, and the charts make the pattern easy to see.

Why are some shapes scattered and others in rows?

Rows and rectangles are easier to count because the order is clear. Scattered groups are harder, so kindergarten keeps them to 10 or fewer. Practicing both helps children count anything they find around them.