Can Pre-K children really add?
Yes, as long as they can see what they are adding. Four-year-olds already combine things in play, like two blocks and one more block. They aren't yet ready for "2 + 1" as an abstract fact, so this sheet draws both groups as dots and asks your child to count them all.
Before you start
Check that your child can count five objects, touching each one once, and say how many there are at the end. If they can't yet, spend more time on our counting page first. It's a much better starting point than pushing on and getting frustrated.
How to teach it
- Put two small piles of crackers or blocks on the table.
- Ask how many are in each pile, then push them together.
- Ask "how many now?" and count them all again.
- Then try one row of the sheet in the same way.
Moving forward
Sums stay at 5 or less here, because that's a good first goal. When your child can do this without help, set "Numbers up to" to 10. If you'd like a holiday version, choose the Thanksgiving or Christmas theme, and the dots become leaves or stars.