Addition with Bakery Treats — Kindergarten

Here addition mixes something to count with something to read. One addend is a little set of bagels, buns and a cake the child counts for themselves; the other is a numeral already written down; the box after the equals sign is where the total goes. Counting the bakery treats and then carrying on past the written number to reach the answer is exactly how five- and six-year-olds start to trust that a numeral stands for an amount they could have counted out themselves.

Counting on from a number, instead of counting everything again from one, is a key kindergarten step, and pairing the number with a group of bakery treats to count makes it concrete. The picture anchors the meaning while the numeral does the new work, so the symbol is introduced exactly when the child has something real to attach it to.

Children who like bakery treats settle into this quickly, and it suits a calm independent task or a counting game on the board. When the numbers feel easy, count a fresh group in addition with beach things, or try addition with clothes. You can also browse every addition worksheet or the whole bakery treats collection for kindergarten — each sheet prints cleanly in black and white or plays online for free.