Addition with Toys — Kindergarten

A group of balls, blocks and a teddy 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 toys 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.

This is the bridge between counting and arithmetic. A child who can count a set of toys and then count on by a written number is connecting the concrete world of objects to the symbols that will stand in for them, and keeping every total within ten means the link can always be checked by counting rather than taken on trust.

Children who like toys 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 travel and holidays (black & white), or try addition with fourth of july things. You can also browse every addition worksheet or the whole toys collection for kindergarten — each sheet prints cleanly in black and white or plays online for free.