What math should a kindergartener know by the end of the year?

Quick answer

By the end of kindergarten, children are expected to count to 100 by ones and tens, write numbers 0 to 20, count up to 20 objects, and compare groups and numbers to 10. They add and subtract within 10 using objects or drawings, are fluent within 5, find the partner that makes 10, see 11 to 19 as ten and some ones, and name basic shapes (Common Core).

Kindergarten is the year “I can count” turns into real number sense: knowing that 7 is more than 5, that 3 and 2 make 5, and that 14 is ten and four more. Here is what children are expected to know by the end of kindergarten, in plain words, with a quick check for each area.

The goals come from the Common Core State Standards, used by most U.S. states (your state may differ slightly). Codes like K.CC.A.1 help you match items to report cards. These are end-of-year goals, so a child starting kindergarten isn't expected to know them yet.

Kindergarten math at a glance

Counting and cardinality

“Cardinality” is a big word for a simple idea: the last number you say when counting tells how many there are. It's the foundation for everything else this year.

• Counts to 100 by ones and by tens (K.CC.A.1), out loud: “10, 20, 30… 100.”
• Counts on from any number (K.CC.A.2): starts at 36 and keeps going, instead of always starting at 1.
• Writes numbers 0 to 20 and writes the number for a group of objects, with 0 meaning “none” (K.CC.A.3).
• Counts objects one at a time, one number per object, and knows the last number tells how many, however the objects are arranged (K.CC.B.4).
• Answers “how many?” for up to 20 objects in a line, a rectangle or a circle, or up to 10 scattered objects, and counts out a given number: “Give me 15 buttons” (K.CC.B.5).
• Compares groups of up to 10 objects as more, fewer or the same (K.CC.C.6), and compares two written numbers between 1 and 10 (K.CC.C.7).

Lining two groups up is the easiest way to compare: the 7-group sticks out past the 5-group, so 7 is more.

Quick check: Scatter 8 crackers and ask, “How many?” Does your child touch each one once and give the last number as the answer? Then ask, “Can you count on from 17?” and “Which is more, 6 or 9?”

Addition and subtraction within 10

Kindergartners don't need to memorize facts to 10. They need to understand what adding and subtracting mean, using objects, fingers and drawings.

• Shows adding and taking away with objects, fingers, drawings, claps, acting out, or simple equations (K.OA.A.1).
• Solves story problems within 10 (K.OA.A.2): “You have 6 grapes and eat 2. How many are left?”
• Breaks numbers up to 10 into pairs in more than one way and records them, such as 5 = 2 + 3 and 5 = 4 + 1 (K.OA.A.3).
• Finds the number that makes 10 with any number from 1 to 9: 7 needs 3 (K.OA.A.4).
• Adds and subtracts fluently within 5 (K.OA.A.5): answers 3 + 2 or 5 − 1 quickly and accurately, without counting objects.

The ten-frame, a 2-by-5 grid, is the star tool of kindergarten: children see at a glance that 6 is “5 and 1 more” and that 4 spaces are left to make 10. Print some free ten-frames and use cereal as counters. For more, see how to teach addition, how to teach subtraction and the make ten strategy.

Quick check: Ask “What's 3 + 2? And 4 − 1?” These should come quickly by spring. Then hold up 7 fingers and ask, “How many more to make 10?” Counting the folded fingers is fine for this one.

Teen numbers: ten and some more

Kindergartners learn that the numbers 11 to 19 are made of ten ones and some more ones, and record it with a drawing or an equation such as 18 = 10 + 8 (K.NBT.A.1). Calling 10 ones “a ten” comes in 1st grade, but this is the first step toward place value.

A full ten-frame plus 4 more is 14. Teen numbers are tricky in English: we say the ones first (four-teen) but write the ten first (14), so writing 41 for fourteen is a common mix-up. Building the number with two ten-frames fixes it fast.

Quick check: Ask your child to build 16 with counters on two ten-frames. Can they say, “It's ten and 6 more”?

Measurement and data

• Describes things you can measure, like length and weight, including several for one object: “This pumpkin is tall and heavy” (K.MD.A.1).
• Compares two objects directly to see which is taller, shorter, heavier or lighter, and says how they differ (K.MD.A.2).
• Sorts objects into groups, counts each group, and orders the groups by how many (K.MD.B.3).

Quick check: Hand over a pile of LEGO bricks and ask your child to sort them by color, count each pile, and tell you which pile has the most.

Geometry: shapes and positions

• Names shapes around them and describes where things are with words like above, below, beside, in front of, behind and next to (K.G.A.1).
• Names shapes in any size or position (an upside-down triangle is still a triangle) (K.G.A.2), and tells flat shapes from solid ones (K.G.A.3).
• Compares shapes in everyday words, such as the number of sides and corners (K.G.B.4).
• Builds and draws shapes, for example with sticks and clay balls (K.G.B.5), and puts shapes together to make bigger ones, like two triangles into a rectangle (K.G.B.6).

Quick check: On a walk, ask your child to find a circle, a rectangle and a cylinder (like a can), and to tell you how a triangle differs from a square.

Playful ways to practice at home

A few minutes of play most days beats a long worksheet session. Some favorites:

• Count everything: stairs, grapes, cars. Count by tens with ten flashing fingers.
• How many under the cup? Show 5 crackers, hide some, and ask how many are hiding.
• Egg-carton ten-frame: cut two cups off a 12-cup carton and fill it to find partners of 10.
• Bigger number wins: flip playing cards 1 to 10 and compare.

Our 15 no-prep math games for kindergarten have step-by-step rules, and how to make math fun at home has more ideas. For a screen-based option, try the free Mathing demo.

When to talk to the teacher

Children develop number sense at different speeds, and being one of the youngest in class matters at this age. Still, check in with the teacher if, by the second half of the year, your child:

• can't reliably count a small group of 5 to 10 objects, touching each one once;
• doesn't recognize most numerals from 0 to 10, despite lots of practice;
• can't tell which of two small groups has more, even when they're lined up;
• doesn't yet see that adding makes more and taking away makes fewer;
• gets very upset or shuts down whenever numbers come up.

Ask what the teacher sees in class and what to practice at home. See also: what to do when a child struggles with math.

Practice set

Use objects or fingers for any of these, and act out the story problems with toys.

Kindergarten practice (with answers)

1. What comes after 47?
2. 10, 20, 30, what's next?
3. Which is greater, 6 or 9?
4. 3 + 2 = ?
5. 5 − 3 = ?
6. 6 + ? = 10
7. 8 = 5 + ?
8. 13 = 10 + ?
9. 4 ducks, then 3 more come. How many?
10. 9 crackers, you eat 2. How many left?

Show answers

Next year's goals are in our 1st grade math checklist, and math facts by grade shows when each set of facts should become automatic.

Frequently asked questions

What math should a kindergartener know by the end of the year?

Under the Common Core, used by most U.S. states, kindergarteners finish the year able to count to 100, write numbers 0 to 20, count and compare small groups, add and subtract within 10 with objects, add and subtract fluently within 5, find the partner that makes 10, see 11 to 19 as ten and some ones, and name basic shapes.

What math skills should a 5 year old have?

School standards are set by grade, not age, and most 5-year-olds are in kindergarten, so the kindergarten checklist is the best guide. Treat it as a list of end-of-year goals. At the start of kindergarten it is normal for a 5-year-old to count only small groups and know a few numerals. Steady, playful progress matters more than hitting every item early.

Should my kindergartener know addition facts by heart?

Only the smallest ones. The kindergarten goal is to add and subtract fluently within 5 (K.OA.A.5), such as 3 + 2 or 4 − 1. Sums and differences within 10 are solved with objects, fingers or drawings. Fluency within 10 is a 1st-grade goal, and knowing all one-digit sums from memory comes at the end of 2nd grade.

How high should a kindergartener count?

By the end of kindergarten, children should count out loud to 100 by ones and by tens (K.CC.A.1) and count on from any number, like starting at 46 instead of 1. When counting real objects, the goal is up to 20 things in a line, a rectangle or a circle, or up to 10 scattered things.

Is it normal for a kindergartener to write numbers backward?

Yes. Reversing digits such as 3, 7 or 9, or writing 14 as 41, is very common at this age and usually fades with practice. The kindergarten goal is to write numbers 0 to 20 (K.CC.A.3). Gentle reminders, tracing in sand or shaving cream, and a number line on the wall help. Mention it to the teacher if reversals persist well into 1st grade.

What if my kindergartener is behind in math?

Start with a calm conversation with the teacher to learn which skills are hard in class. Then practice those skills in short, playful bursts at home: counting real objects, dice games and ten-frames. Children develop number sense at different speeds. If gaps persist after a few weeks of steady practice, ask the school what extra support is available.

Sources

• Common Core State Standards: Kindergarten, Counting & Cardinality — CCSSI
• Common Core State Standards: Kindergarten, Operations & Algebraic Thinking — CCSSI
• Common Core State Standards: Kindergarten, Number & Operations in Base Ten — CCSSI
• Common Core State Standards: Kindergarten, Measurement & Data — CCSSI
• Common Core State Standards: Kindergarten, Geometry — CCSSI

Written by The Mathing Team for parents and teachers. Grade expectations follow the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics; your state or school may sequence skills a little differently.