Kindergarten · Math · week 1

Count to 10 and back

Count forward from 1 to 10 and backward from 10 to 1, saying one number for each count.

Counting is saying number words in order. You know this one: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Say it out loud right now!

Counting backward uses the same numbers, in reverse. Start at 10 and count down: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Rockets count down like this before they blast off.

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Count together every day, out loud, at breakfast or in the car.
  • Clap, stomp, or tap on each number so counting feels like a game.
  • Practice backward counting like a rocket launch. Countdown to blast off.
  • Do not rush. Let your child say each number fully before the next one.
Talk about it:
  • Can you count all the way to 10 without help?
  • What is harder, counting up or counting down?
  • Where do you see the number 10 around our home?

Mastery looks like: They count from 1 to 10 and back from 10 to 1 smoothly, without skipping a number.

Common stumbles: Skipping a number, especially 7 or 9; forgetting the direction partway through backward counting.

See it visually

Interactive, spoken-aloud tools that show this idea in motion.

Counting & Ten-FramesCount objects in ten-frames and base-ten blocks, one tap at a time.try →
Homework for this lessonType it, write it with a stylus, or print it for pencil & paper.open →
Records attendance + 15 min of Math for this learner.
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