How to make it
- Choose adding, taking away or bothAddition and subtraction together is preselected. Many classes start with Addition only and bring in take-away once children act it out with objects.
- Keep the numbers smallNumbers up to 5 with Answers stay within that number ticked keeps every sum at 5 or less. Choose 10 later in the year for the facts within 10.
- Print the sheet and its keyBig print is on, so each problem has room for a large, wobbly digit. Print or download the PDF; the answer key follows on a separate page.
What kindergarten math usually covers
Kindergarten math in US schools is mostly about whole numbers up to 100 and what they mean. Children count to 100 by ones and by tens, write numbers from 0 to 20 (CCSS K.CC.A.3), count a set of objects and say how many, and compare two groups to tell which has more. Toward spring they solve small adding and taking-away stories with objects or drawings, and the year ends with one fluency goal: adding and subtracting within 5 (CCSS K.OA.A.5).
Most of that work happens with real things on a table: counters, blocks, fingers, a ten frame drawn on a mat. Paper comes later and in small doses. That is why the kindergarten math worksheets this site makes are the ones that suit paper well: writing numbers, counting in order on a chart, and short sets of facts once the idea of plus and minus is in place.
The within 5 sheet on this page
The preset prints twenty problems written across the page, such as 3 + 1 = and 4 − 2 = with a line for the answer. Answers stay within that number is ticked, so a sum never goes above 5 and a take-away never starts above 5; without it, Numbers up to 5 would allow 5 + 5. Zero turns up now and then on purpose, because adding or taking away nothing is a fact children need to meet.
There are only 42 different facts of this kind, which is good news for a five-year-old: the same small set comes back in a new order every time you press New variant, and familiar facts start to feel easy. The answer key repeats the page with answers in pink. In the US the footer names CCSS K.OA.A.5 and the Sheet number, so the identical page can be printed again next week.
Objects first, then the sheet
A child who meets 2 + 3 for the first time on paper has nothing to hang it on. Kindergarten teachers commonly start with stories (two ducks on the pond, three more land) told with toys, then pictures, then the number sentence. Only when a child can show 2 + 3 with fingers or counters does a page of facts make sense.
A quick check before you print: put five buttons on the table, cover some with your hand and ask how many are hiding. A child who answers without counting the visible ones again is ready for this sheet. A child who still counts all five from the start will get more from a week of games with objects, and the sheet can wait.
Other math worksheets for kindergarten on the site
Number writing is among the math worksheets kindergarten teachers send home most, and it is the part of the year that paper serves best. Number tracing worksheets set to 0 to 9 or 1 to 20 draw each digit with a start dot and an arrow, and they cover the CCSS K.CC.A.3 goal of writing numbers up to 20. Reversed digits such as a backward 3 are common at this age; tracing the right starting point a few times a week usually sorts them out by first grade.
For counting to 100, print a hundreds chart filled in for the wall and another with missing numbers for children to complete; counting by tens down the right-hand column is a kindergarten goal of its own. Number line sheets counting by 1s from 0 ask for the missing numbers on a line and show that each step adds one.
| Kindergarten goal | Page | Setting to start with |
|---|---|---|
| Add and take away within 5 | this page | numbers up to 5, answers within 5 |
| Write numbers 0 to 20 | Number tracing | 0 to 9, then 11 to 20 |
| Count to 100 by ones and tens | Hundreds chart | 1 to 100, a few numbers missing |
| Count on from a number | Number lines | count by 1s |
| Facts within 10, late in the year | this page | numbers up to 10, answers within 10 |
What this site does not make for kindergarten
Many kindergarten math worksheets are built on pictures: count the apples and write the number, circle the group with more, color the shapes. PencilPage has no picture counting, shape or pattern sheets, and no ten frames. For those parts of the year, real objects do the job better than any printout, and a few drawn dots on the back of a sheet are enough.
What the site can do is keep the paper parts fresh and checked. Each fact sheet comes with a key, a new variant is one click away, and the number tracing pages draw digits the way they are taught. When adding within 10 is secure, 1st grade math worksheets move on to the facts within 10 written across the page.
Reception, Foundation and Prep
Children in US kindergarten are about five to six years old, roughly the age of Reception and Year 1 in England and Foundation (called Prep in some states) in Australia. Number bonds within 5 and writing numbers to 20 are early goals in all of them. The Common Core code prints only when the browser's language and time zone are American; elsewhere the footer leaves it out and the problems are the same.
These kindergarten math worksheets, printable on US Letter or A4, follow the paper size of the browser, and it is easy to switch. Print at actual size so the big digits stay big. The Name and date line is on, which helps when a class set goes home in book bags; untick it in More options for a sheet used at the kitchen table.
Questions
What math should a kindergartener know by the end of the year?
In most US schools kindergarteners finish the year counting to 100 by ones and tens, writing numbers to 20, counting a set of up to 20 objects, comparing groups, and adding and taking away within 5 without much counting. Schools differ in pace, so ask the teacher what the class is working on.
Are these kindergarten math worksheets free?
Yes. Every sheet and its answer key is free to print or save as a PDF, with no account and no watermark, and New variant gives a different page as often as you like.
Why do the sums never go above 5?
Because Answers stay within that number is ticked. With it, Numbers up to 5 means the answer is at most 5, which matches the kindergarten fluency goal CCSS K.OA.A.5. Untick it and the two numbers can each be up to 5, so sums reach 10.
How many problems should a five-year-old do?
Five to ten is plenty for many children, and twenty only once the facts come quickly. Set How many in More options, or fold the sheet and do one half a day. Stop while it is still fun.
Are there kindergarten worksheets for counting pictures or shapes?
Not on this site. PencilPage makes number tracing, hundreds charts, number lines and fact sheets, but no picture counting, shape or coloring pages. Counting real objects works better at this age anyway.
Can I print a kindergarten math worksheet in A4?
Yes. The paper size follows your browser, Letter in the US and A4 in most other countries, and you can switch it in More options before printing or saving the PDF.
Common Core State Standards: © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.