Numbers and Counting in Kindergarten

What Do Kindergarteners Learn?

Kindergartners will learn to recognize, write, order, and count objects up to the number 30. They'll also add and subtract small numbers (add with a sum of 10 or less and subtract from 10 or less). This focus on addition and subtraction will continue through second grade.

Kindergarten:

• Count to ten

• Count a set of five objects using one-to-one correspondence

• Identify the numerals 1-5

• Compare sets of objects and describe them using “more,” “less,” “equal,” or same

• Use correct vocabulary to compare objects (“big,” “small”; “long,” “short”; “more,” “less”; “heavy,” “light”)

• Use words that identify time of day (“morning,” “afternoon,” “night,” “day”)

• Identify circles, squares, rectangles, and triangles when shown models

• Sort objects by their attributes (color, size, shape, and so on)

• Use words that indicate position (“in,” “out,” “beside,” “over,” “under,” “between”)

• Recognize and copy patterns in songs, rhymes, and body movements

By the end of kindergarten, students working at the standard level:

• Understand that numbers are symbols that tell you how many

• Know about time and can tell time to the nearest hour

• Recite numbers one through twenty corresponding to flash cards

• Combine and separate sets using objects

• Classify and sort sets

• Solve addition facts through 10

• Compare more, less, and same

• Recognize half of a whole object

Interactive resources are available on at kindergarten math games page, and other materials are available on our math resources page.

First Grade:

Numbers and Counting

• Count by 1s, 2s, 5s, 10s, and 25s past 100

• Read, write, and understand numbers to 999

• Identify numbers in the ones and then tens place in a two-digit number

• Demonstrate an understanding of the parts-to-whole relationship by modeling simple fractions (1/2, 1/4, and whole) using manipulatives and pictures

Classifying and Estimating

• Classify familiar two- and three-dimensional objects by common attributes (color, position, shape, size, roundness, number of corners) and explain which attributes are being used to classify the objects

• Estimate answers to addition or subtraction problems and then solve the problem and compare the answer to the estimation (Ex: How many quarters do you need to buy an ice cream bar that costs $1.25?)

• Estimate number of objects in a collection (i.e. number of circles on a page, number of marshmallows in a bag, etc.)

Shapes, Graphs and Data Analysis

• Identify and describe one- and two-dimensional objects (circles, triangles, squares, rectangles, spheres, cylinders, rectangular prisms, pyramids, cones, and cubes)

• Identify, describe, and extend simple repeating patterns (i.e. 1, 3, 5 — next number is 7

• Collect and organize data and record it in tally charts, tables, bar graph, and line graphs

Measuring and Comparing

• Measuring in standard and non-standard units

• Compare volume of liquids in containers of different sizes

• Compare the length, weight, and volume of two or more objects by using direct comparison or a nonstandard unit

• Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of less than, equal to, or greater than by comparing and ordering whole numbers to 100 using the symbols for those concepts (<, =, >)

• Identify one more than, one less than, 10 more than, and 10 less than some other number

• Order objects by weight from lightest to heaviest

Time and Money

• Count combination of quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies to at least $1.00

• Tell time to the nearest quarter-hour on both a digital and analog clock

• Relate time to events (longer, shorter, before, after)

• Read a calendar and identify the month, date, and days of the week

Adding and Subtracting

• Add and subtract to and from 30

• Add three one-digit numbers

• Solve addition and subtraction problems with one- and two-digit numbers

• Demonstrate an understanding of mathematical symbols (+, -, =)

• Create and solve problems with a known answer (i.e. 3 + __ = 5)

• Solve simple story problems

Helping at Home

Help your kindergartner look for the numbers one through 30 in magazines and newspapers. They can cut them out, glue them on paper, and put them in numerical order. When you're riding in the car or waiting in line, play a game of "What comes next?" Give your child a number and ask them to identify the following number, which might help them reach kindergarten goals.

At bedtime, ask them to count how many stuffed animals they have, and ask, "How many books about dogs do you have? How fast can you count them?" Take two of these books away and ask, "How many are left?"

Talk about the properties of common shapes: How would you describe a rectangle? How is it different from a triangle? Additionally, you can introduce a "Draw a Shape" game, and take turns with your child drawing rectangles, circles, and squares.

Finally, encourage your student to organize toys by types—they can gather same-size blocks into a pile or sort Legos by color. You can also take out an old box of buttons and have your child sort them by size and number of holes.

What should kindergarteners know about time and seasons? At this age, kids grasp the basic concepts. They can identify the time of everyday events to the nearest hour—for example, they leave for school at 7:00 a.m. and eat dinner at 6:00 p.m. Note, however, that it will still be hard for them to fully grasp the concept of time because they're concrete thinkers and time is abstract.