Addition with Everyday Objects — Kindergarten

Each problem shows one group to count and one number to read: a set of a key, a button and an umbrella, a plus sign, a written numeral, and an empty total. The child finds how many everyday objects there are by counting the pictures and then counting on by the number. Because totals stay within ten, the answer is always reachable by counting rather than by recalling a fact, and the page quietly teaches that a numeral and a pile of things can mean the very same amount.

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 everyday objects — 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 everyday objects 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 musical instruments, or try addition with post office. You can also browse every addition worksheet or the whole everyday objects collection for kindergarten — each sheet prints cleanly in black and white or plays online for free.