Exercises for counting to nine

Counting is the very first step for kids learning mathematics. At age 2 to 3, children should be able to count to three, and some of them may even count up to five or ten. Kids also start learning to associate meanful counts with a collection of objects. Some researches show that it takes about one year for a child to understand what numbers mean and how counting procedures are performed. Until then, children really master the skill of counting. Other related skills also need to develop alongside counting to provide a firm foundation of number sense. One such skill is perceiving subgroups. Asking kids to count objects presented in various different arrangements can prompt different mental strategies.

This worksheet provides exercises of counting stars and apples in different collections. Each collection has maximumly 9 stars or apples, arranged in different patterns. You may ask your kids to count in each group and write down the corresponding counts. They will understand the meaning of numbers as they gain more experience with counting exercises.