We all know how crucial teaching addition is when it comes to laying the foundation in math. This essential skill that is taught in kindergarten will help our little learners in countless ways as they develop in number sense ability. My favorite strategy for teaching addition in the classroom is using the ‘counting on’ approach. This is easy to implement in the classroom and you’ll love how simple it makes incorporating math into your daily lessons!
What is Counting On?
Counting on is a mental math strategy that will help your students grow and develop in number sense skills. It helps students practice adding numbers mentally by visualizing the first number and then counting forward from there based on a second number that is given. For example, start at 5 and add 4. Students will first say 5 and then count on four more numbers to get their answer.
I love this because it helps my students visualize the act of addition. I’m all about hands-on learning with manipulatives and tools, but this strategy challenges students to complete the problem in their heads, ultimately becoming a valuable tool when teaching addition!
Introducing Counting On in the Classroom
As a long-time kindergarten teacher, I know the power of songs and music in the classroom. When you first introduce this concept, consider using a helpful introduction video like this one by Jack Hartman. Videos and songs get the kids excited to perk up and listen while doing a great job of explaining this concept to the students.
Take note that you may have to play it a few times before it really sticks because this can be a confusing concept for many kids! In my experience, some students struggle to understand that you can count on from any number and don’t always have to start at one. But with some patience and practice, I know your kiddos will get it! Just keep singing and dancing along!
Another great way to introduce this concept and practice a little every day is by counting on using a number line during your morning meeting. Each day, I choose a student to select a number for us. We will practice counting on from that number. Then I choose another student to tell us how many to add. Then, using a pointer, I point to each number as the students say it aloud. This is a great visual for your kiddos who aren’t quite connecting the dots on this skill!
Fun Practice Activities for Counting On
We all know practice makes progress, so to see your students thrive with this skill, it’s important to find fun ways to practice that will help it stick! If you’re lucky enough to have time for math small groups, this is something you can practice audibly as a warm-up with your students. To do this, I suggest using a large foam die cube and rolling it twice. Once to get your start number, and once to see how many to add. You can do this all together, or select students to take turns during warm-ups. This a fun and easy way to get those mental math muscles working!
Counting On Color By Code
My favorite follow-up activity is an engaging color-by-code page to practice independently. In fact, we use Counting On Color by Code Worksheets all year long to get tons of practice with this skill! These worksheets are a versatile way to ensure your students get many opportunities to count on. They’re great as an independent work activity for the whole group to quietly focus on addition and even as a center activity. There are two levels included, so I can easily (and discreetly) differentiate by skill level without students knowing who got what. I just pass off the correct page after our small group activity and they head to a table to get to work.
There are many other benefits to using these pages, but my favorite is how fun they are for my students. I am all about ways to make worksheets more engaging, and these certainly fit the bill! Not to mention, they come in seasonal and holiday versions that make it simple and easy to weave them into our lessons no matter what theme we’re focusing on.
How to Use Counting On Pages
So how do these counting on color-by-code activities work? So glad you asked! They are super simple to use, making them perfect for young students.
Children will look at the top of their page to read the color code. It will show numbers with corresponding colors. To fill in their worksheet, they begin with the starting number and then count the number of dots on the dice shown next to it in each section. It’s the perfect visual for practicing addition by counting on. After counting, they will use the color key to choose the correct color. Then they will color in the space. They keep counting and coloring until they have finished the whole page, which is when a seasonal mystery picture will be revealed!
I love that this activity gives them TONS of practice with this skill in a way that doesn’t require any special materials. All they need is a worksheet and some crayons and they are off to the races! This makes these worksheets perfect for a variety of uses including fast finishers, centers, homework, and even the sub tub.
Each of the Counting On Color by Code resources includes two versions for easy differentiation. You’ll get 10 pages of the simple version and 8 pages of the more complex version. The simple version allows you to focus on two or three numbers at a time, while the complex version targets many more. In a classroom with varied skill levels and needs, this comes in handy! Not to mention, as students progress in skill level, you can adjust which pages they get to make sure they stay challenged.
Fun Themes to Practice Addition by Counting On
As I mentioned before, I have counting on pages for every season of the year. This allows me to use them all year long. I love being able to squeeze in plenty of practice with this skill, without it feeling stale to students. Each new theme feels fresh to students as they count on to reveal the mystery picture on their page. The themes included in my Counting On Color By Code Bundle include:
- Back to School
- Fall
- Halloween
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas
- Winter
- Valentine’s Day
- St. Patrick’s Day
- Spring
- Summer
Right now, the bundle includes activities for spring, summer, St. Patrick’s Day, winter, and Christmas. Since this is a growing bundle, you get all future additions for free, making this a great way to update your lessons without costing extra money. As a teacher on a tight budget, I’m all about a good deal!
Counting On Freebie
I love this activity so much and have seen how effective it is in helping students learn and understand this skill. That is why I want you to try these addition by counting on worksheets in your classroom. Just enter your email below and you’ll be sent a FREE set of them to use with your students!
You’ll receive a free Insects Counting On Resource that is perfect for any time of the year. We all know that young kids LOVE bugs, so these are sure to be a hit! Try them out with your students and then get a second use out of them by making copies and distributing them for homework or tucking them away in your fast-finisher bins for later in the year.
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This post is full of some great ideas for using counting on to teach addition. Be sure to pin it on Pinterest so you can come back anytime you need a refresher!
