Addition with Insects and Bugs — Kindergarten

Every row of this kindergarten worksheet pairs a group of ants, bees and a ladybug you can count with a plain number written beside it, and leaves the total as an empty box. The child counts the pictured bugs, then counts on from that number to find how many there are in all. Seeing a real group on one side and a written numeral on the other is the first bridge from counting pictures to working with symbols, and the amounts stay small enough that every answer can be checked by counting what is shown.

Adding a group you can count to a number you can only read is a real milestone for a five-year-old. It is where counting-on begins — starting from the written number and carrying on through the pictured bugs — and where a child first feels that a numeral is just a quick way of writing an amount they could have laid out as objects.

Children who like insects and bugs 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 kitchen things (black & white), or try addition with community helpers. You can also browse every addition worksheet or the whole bugs collection for kindergarten — each sheet prints cleanly in black and white or plays online for free.