Addition with Shapes — Kindergarten

A group of circles, squares and a triangle sits beside a written number on every row, with the total left blank. The child counts the pictured set first, then counts on by the number to say how many shapes there are altogether. It is addition with one foot in counting and one foot in symbols: the picture keeps the meaning concrete while the numeral starts the move toward written sums, and the small totals let a kindergartner check every answer by counting.

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 shapes — 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 shapes 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 space, or try addition with travel and holidays (black & white). You can also browse every addition worksheet or the whole shapes collection for kindergarten — each sheet prints cleanly in black and white or plays online for free.