Addition with Things That Fly — Kindergarten

Some rows here are add-and-total, some are find-the-part. In the first kind the child counts a group of kites, planes and a balloon, reads a number, and writes how many in all; in the second the total is given with one part shown, and the child finds the part that fills the gap — the same thinking as making ten. Mixing the two keeps the child reading each row rather than repeating one move, and every amount stays small enough to check by counting.

Long before number facts are memorised, kindergartners lean on strategies they can see — counting on to join two amounts, and finding how many more make a total. Practising both with the same flying things builds those strategies side by side, so a child meets the make-ten move and simple adding as two tools for the same small numbers rather than as separate, disconnected drills.

Children who like things that fly 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 tools, or try addition with zoo animals. You can also browse every addition worksheet or the whole flying things collection for kindergarten — each sheet prints cleanly in black and white or plays online for free.