Counting Worksheets

80 worksheets, from four objects to one hundred

Start wherever your child is. The easiest sheets ask for groups of four or five shapes; the hardest run counting sequences all the way to 100. In between, this page covers count and write, count and circle the right number out of three, read a number and color that many shapes, ten frames, building a number on an empty frame, matching numerals to groups and to their written words, tally marks, number lines and skip counting by 3s, 4s and 6s. Every one is a free single-page PDF.

Wherever you start, the shapes sit in scattered groups rather than tidy lines, because counting a neat row of five is a different and much easier task than counting five things spread across a box.

Counting objects, not reciting numbers

A child who can chant to twenty has memorised a song. A child who can count a scattered pile of eleven buttons and stop at eleven understands number. That is what these pages train, and it rests on one-to-one correspondence: one word, one object, no double counting, no skipping. Tell the child to touch each shape as they count it, or to cross each one off with a pencil, and the errors mostly disappear on the spot. These sheets pair naturally with our number tracing worksheets, which teach writing the digit they have just counted to. The step after that is our kindergarten math worksheets, where counting grows into ten frames, comparisons and first picture sums.

Ten frames, tally marks and number lines

Three tools do most of the work once counting passes ten. A ten frame turns 7 into a full row of five plus two more, so the quantity gets read instead of recounted. Tally marks group by fives too, with the diagonal that closes each gate, which is the same idea with a pencil instead of a grid. A number line puts the counting sequence in order and in space, and it is the one that carries a child past 20, past 50 and on to 100. This page uses all three, so pick the tool that matches whatever your child is stuck on today.

Counting in steps instead of in ones

Once counting one by one is reliable, the next move is counting in jumps, and it has a collection of its own: our skip counting worksheets take every step from 2s up to 100s, forwards and backwards, across sequences, number lines, hundred charts, groups of objects and mazes. It is also the quiet start of the times tables.

Frequently asked questions

What age or grade is this for?

Ages 3 to 7, preschool through first grade. Counting to 5 works from about age three, counting to 20 is late pre-K and kindergarten, and the missing-number runs to 100, the number lines and the skip counting sheets belong to kindergarten and first grade. The object counting sheets need no reading at all, so a child who does not know a single letter yet can still finish them.

Do I need to sign up to download?

No. No account, no email, no download limit and no watermark on the page. Click the download button under any worksheet and the one-page PDF arrives instantly.

Can I print these for a preschool class?

Yes. Copies for a preschool, a nursery, a homeschool, a library or a therapy practice are free and unlimited. The only restrictions are selling the sheets and re-uploading them to another website.