Addition with Reptiles and Amphibians — Kindergarten

Two questions take turns down this sheet. One row asks how many frogs, snakes and a turtle there are altogether when a group is joined to a written number; the next shows the whole and one part, and asks what the other part must be to make it. Counting up to a total and breaking a total back into parts are two sides of the same understanding, and meeting both with the same pictured reptiles helps five- and six-year-olds see how they fit together.

Making a total from its parts and adding parts into a total are the same relationship seen from two directions. Kindergartners who practise both with the same reptiles build the make-ten and part-whole habits later written arithmetic leans on, and because the amounts stay small, every answer is still something the child can check by counting the pictures.

Children who like reptiles and amphibians enjoy the change of pace from row to row, and it works well for a small group ready to think in more than one direction. When the numbers feel easy, count a fresh group in addition with sea creatures (black & white), or try addition with toys. You can also browse every addition worksheet or the whole reptiles collection for kindergarten — each sheet prints cleanly in black and white or plays online for free.