Counting one by one

Mathematics · Counting & Cardinality · ages 4-6

Name ______________________ Date ____________

Apples sit in a bowl. You point to each apple once and count 1, 2, 3, 4. How many apples are there? Write the number.
Answer: ______________
Mia touches shells one by one and says 1, 2, 3. How many shells are there?
- 3
- 4
- 2
- 5
Count the stars. How many are there?
- 2
- 3
- 4
When you count, it is OK to give one thing two numbers.
Circle one: True False
Stars are drawn in the sky. You count each star once and stop at 7. How many stars are there? Write the number.
Answer: ______________
Count the hearts. How many are there?
- 4
- 5
- 6
You count buttons by touching each one once. Why do you touch each button only once?
- To start at 10
- So none are missed or doubled
- To go faster
- To skip numbers
Ben counts 6 ducks but skips one duck. Ben says there are 5 ducks. Is Ben right?
Circle one: True False
Sam has 8 toys but skips one while counting. What number does Sam say last?
- 7
- 8
- 9
Children stand in a line. The teacher touches each child once while counting. The last number she says is 9. How many children are in the line? Write the number.
Answer: ______________

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

4 · The last number you say, 4, is how many there are.
3 · The last number you say, 3, is how many there are.
3 · Touch each star once: 1, 2, 3.
False · No. One thing, one number. Never two.
7 · The last number you say, 7, is how many there are.
6 · Six hearts, one number each.
So none are missed or doubled · One touch per object keeps the count exact: no skips, no doubles.
False · Ben is wrong: he skipped a duck. There are 6 ducks.
7 · One toy never got a number, so Sam only reaches 7.
9 · The last number you say, 9, is how many there are.