Counting for Young Kids: A Parent Guide

By Oded Deckelbaum · Published October 31, 2026

What does counting mean for young kids?

Counting is more than saying 1, 2, 3. A child who can count says one number for each object, knows the last number tells how many, and can count on from any number. Early counting also includes seeing small amounts at a glance, comparing which group has more, and odd and even numbers.

What age do kids learn counting?

• In kindergarten (ages 5 to 6), the US Common Core asks kids to count to 100 by ones and tens and to count up to 20 objects.
• In grade 1 (ages 6 to 7), kids count to 120 and compare two-digit numbers.

Every game below shows its grade range. The catalogue starts at grade 1, so kindergartners do best with the gentlest games and a grown-up nearby.

How the games teach counting

The games show amounts as ten-frames, dots, snack towers and critters. The child reads a ten-frame at a glance, herds an exact number of critters into a pen, or builds a number with counters. Other games ask which tower is bigger, or pair dots up two by two to tell odd from even.

Good places to start:

• Ten Frame Flash (Grades 1–2): A ten-frame flashes up — read it in a blink and tap the number.
• Count Quest (Grades 1–2): Herd critters into the pen to hit the goal — count an exact number, or make it more, fewer, or in between, with a number line to guide you.
• Ten-Frame Forge (Grades 1–2): Forge numbers with counters on ten-frames: build a number, complete a bond to ten, and add up to twenty — seeing the numbers, not just hearing them.
• Bigger Bite (Grades 1–2): Two snack towers face off — count them and drop in the sign that makes it true.
• Even Steven (Grades 1–3): Sort every number into EVEN or ODD. The dots pair up two-by-two — all paired is even, one left over is odd. Pairing is the test.

3 things to do at home

1. Count things your child can touch, like stairs or grapes, one touch for each number. Then ask "how many?" again, so they see the last number is the answer.
2. Use an egg carton as a ten-frame. Put some coins in it and ask how many without counting one by one, then how many more make 10.
3. Count on instead of starting over: "You have 5 grapes. Here is one more. How many now?" Start at 5, not 1.

All 18 free counting games for young kids

Free, no ads, no sign-up. Each card shows its grade range.

• 🐸Count-By CoveGrades 1–2A frog crosses a cove on numbered lily pads that skip-count by 2s, 5s, and 10s — tap the pad that fills the gap.Play
• 🛰️Odd Even OutpostGrades 1–2Route each cargo pod to the EVEN or ODD dock — buddy the dots up in pairs and spot the one left alone.Play
• 🍪Bigger BiteGrades 1–2Two snack towers face off — count them and drop in the sign that makes it true.Play
• ⚡Ten Frame FlashGrades 1–2A ten-frame flashes up — read it in a blink and tap the number.Play
• ⚡Doubles DashGrades 1–2Two dot-groups flash up — read the double or near-double fast and tap the matching sum.Play
• 🔢Hundred Chart HuntGrades 1–3Slide a marker around the 1–100 chart — down is 10 more, across is 1 more — to hunt down the number.Play
• 🏅Ordinal OutpostGrades 1–2Racers line up at the outpost — count from the flag and tap the one in the place I call, from 1st to 10th.Play
• 🔟Ten-Frame ForgeGrades 1–2Forge numbers with counters on ten-frames: build a number, complete a bond to ten, and add up to twenty — seeing the numbers, not just hearing them.Play
• 🐾Count QuestGrades 1–2Herd critters into the pen to hit the goal — count an exact number, or make it more, fewer, or in between, with a number line to guide you.Play
• 🐸Skip TripGrades 1–3Hop a frog across lily pads, skip-counting by 2s, 5s and 10s — each tap jumps by the skip size to land on the next, missing, or total number.Play
• 🧦Even StevenGrades 1–3Sort every number into EVEN or ODD. The dots pair up two-by-two — all paired is even, one left over is odd. Pairing is the test.Play
• 🐊Gator GulpGrades 1–3Feed the hungry gator — its open mouth is the > sign, so it always eats the BIGGER number. Compare dot piles, then numbers up to the hundreds.Play
• 🌉Number Bonds BridgeGrades 1–2Tap stones onto the bridge piers to build the number bond — the raccoon crosses when the parts match the whole!Play
• 🌼More Less MeadowGrades 1–2Tap a cube for one and a rod for ten to build one-more, one-less, ten-more, and ten-less with base-ten blocks.Play
• 🔤Number Word MatchGrades 1–2Read a number's written word and match it to the numeral — or build a number from its tens and ones words.Play
• 🔨Count MolesGrade 1Moles pop out of their holes holding dot signs — bonk only the mole whose dots match the called number, from dice dots to ten-frames to counting a dot cloud and bonking its numeral.Play
• 🐍Skip SnakeGrades 1–2Steer the snake to bite the number that comes next — counting on by 1s, then skipping by 2s, 5s and 10s — and watch its body grow into the count.Play
• 🔺Fact Family ForgeGrades 1–3Dial the hidden number of a bond triangle and watch it forge all four related facts at once.Play

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