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Kindergarten · K.CC.A.2

Counting on in kindergarten

Counting on means starting a count from any number instead of from 1. If you say "start at 6", your child goes on with 7, 8, 9. In kindergarten, your child learns counting forward from any number up to 100, and later uses the same skill to add.

What the standard says

The official Common Core wording, quoted exactly. The plain version follows.

K.CC.A.2 Count forward beginning from a given number within the known sequence (instead of having to begin at 1).

What it means, in plain words

Most children first learn to count as one long chain that always starts at 1. To find what comes after 14, they go back to 1 and count all the way up. Counting on in kindergarten replaces that habit. Your child learns to hold a number in mind and carry on from there.

Counting forward from a number uses the same order as counting to 100, so a child who knows the order well can jump in anywhere. The tricky starting points come just before a new ten, such as 49 or 79. The next number there is a new ten, a number that ends in zero, like 50 or 80.

Counting on is also the first step toward addition. To add 5 and 2, your child can hold 5 in mind and count two more: 6, 7. So 5+2=75 + 2 = 7. In kindergarten the main goal is the counting itself. Addition comes next.

Your child should be able to:

  • Start counting from a number other than 1, such as 23, and keep going
  • Say the number that comes right after a given number
  • Count on past a new ten, such as 48, 49, 50, 51
  • Hold the first number in mind and count on to find how many in all

Example

Start at 24 and count on four more numbers. Which numbers do you say?

  1. Hold 24 in your head and do not go back to 1.
  2. Say the next four numbers: 25, 26, 27, 28.
  3. The four numbers are 25, 26, 27 and 28.

Example

There are 5 apples in a bag and 3 more apples on the table. How many apples are there in all?

  1. Say 5 for the apples in the bag, without taking them out.
  2. Touch each apple on the table and count on: 6, 7, 8.
  3. 5+3=85 + 3 = 8, so there are 8 apples in all.

Where children usually get stuck

  • Asked to count on from 7, your child starts at 1 and counts all the way up to 7 before going on.

    Your child still knows the count as one chain that starts at 1. Starting in the middle feels like starting a song halfway through.

    What helps. Play a game in the car or at dinner. You say a number and your child says the next three. Start with small numbers and move higher as it gets easy.

  • With 4 blocks in a cup and 2 more on the table, your child points at the first new block, says "4", then says "5" and stops.

    Your child says the starting number again while touching the first new block, so the count comes out one short. The 4 belongs to the blocks in the cup, not to a new block.

    What helps. Tap the cup and say the starting number first. Then point to the first new block and say the next number. Doing it slowly together a few times makes the order clear.

  • Counting on from 57, your child says 58, 59, 50.

    Your child knows that the last part of the number starts again after nine. The step that is missing is that the tens part goes up by one at the same time.

    What helps. Use a hundred chart. When the count reaches the end of a row, drop down to the start of the next row and read the new number together.

Try four practice questions

Real kindergarten questions from our question bank, easiest first. Answer them right here, check each one, and see a worked solution for any question.

  1. 1Warm-up
    Count on from 1. Which answer shows the next 3 numbers?
    1,00‾,00‾,00‾\displaystyle 1, \underline{\phantom{00}}, \underline{\phantom{00}}, \underline{\phantom{00}}
    A
    2, 3, 5
    B
    2, 4, 6
    C
    2, 3, 4
    D
    1, 2, 3
    Show the answer and how to solve it

    The next 3 numbers after 1 are 2, 3, and 4, because each number is 1 more than the one before.

    1. 1Look at the start number. We need to count on and say the next 3 numbers after 1.
    2. 2When you count on, each number is 1 more than the one before. Say the numbers in order, starting with the number that comes right after 1.
    3. 3The next 3 numbers after 1 are 2, 3, and 4.

    Common mistake. A common mistake is to begin by saying the start number itself (1, 2, 3) instead of starting with the next number after 1. Counting ON means saying what comes AFTER, so the first number should be 2, not 1.

    The idea underneath. Counting on means saying the numbers that come AFTER the start number, one at a time, with each number being just 1 more than the one before.

  2. 2On level
    10\displaystyle 10
    What number comes after this number when counting by ones?
    Show the answer and how to solve it

    Answer. 11

    The answer is 11. When counting by ones, the next number after 10 is 11.

    1. 1Look at the given number.
    2. 2Count by ones, saying each number in order: 9, 10, 11. The number that comes right after 10 is 11.
    3. 3Type the answer.

    Common mistake. A common mistake is typing the number that comes before (9) or typing the same number (10). The word "after" means the next number, which is one more than 10.

    The idea underneath. Counting by ones means saying every whole number in order. The number that comes after a given number is always one more than that number.

  3. 3On level
    Two children counted. Pick whose counting is right.
    Aisha: 11,12,13,14,15Sam: 13,14,15,17,18\displaystyle \begin{array}{l} \text{Aisha: } 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 \\ \text{Sam: } 13, 14, 15, 17, 18 \end{array}
    A
    Only the first counted right
    B
    Only the second counted right
    C
    Both counted right
    D
    Neither counted right
    Show the answer and how to solve it

    The answer is 'Only the first counted right.' Aisha's count went 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 with each number exactly one more than the last. Sam's count skipped 16 between 15 and 17, so Sam was wrong.

    1. 1Look at Aisha's count: 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. Check each pair. 11 then 12: one more. 12 then 13: one more. 13 then 14: one more. 14 then 15: one more. Aisha counted right.
    2. 2Now look at Sam's count: 13, 14, 15, 17, 18. Check each pair. 13 then 14: one more. 14 then 15: one more. 15 then 17: that jumped TWO. After 15 should come 16. Sam skipped 16, so Sam made a mistake.
    3. 3Aisha counted right, and Sam made a mistake. So only the first child counted right.

    Common mistake. A common mistake is to glance at both sequences and assume both look fine because the teen numbers are mostly in order. The fix is to check each pair: every next number must be exactly one more. Even a single skipped teen number means the count is wrong.

    The idea underneath. When counting by ones, every next number must be exactly one more than the one before. Even a single skipped number, repeated number, or out-of-order number means the count is wrong.

  4. 4Stretch
    James was counting, but made a mistake. What number should come right after 39?
    38,39,50,51,52\displaystyle 38, 39, 50, 51, 52
    Type the answer.
    Show the answer and how to solve it

    Answer. 40

    The correct number is 40, because the number after 39 is 40.

    1. 1Look at the numbers James said.
    2. 2Count up by ones starting from 38. The number after 38 is 39. The number after 39 should be 40, but James said 50. After 39, the next number is 40, not 50.
    3. 3James jumped past a decade. The correct number is 40.

    Common mistake. A common mistake is typing 50 (the wrong number James said) or 53 (just continuing the count from the end of the list). Find the broken position and type the number that should have been there: the one right after 39.

    The idea underneath. When you count by ones, each number is exactly one more than the number before it.