Kindergarten Math Games: 12 Easy Games Sorted by Skill
By the Math Learner team Updated 8 min read
Good kindergarten math games train four skills: counting objects one by one, counting on from a given number, comparing which group has more, and adding or taking away within 10. Short games with beans, socks, dice or bottles work well. Play one for 5 to 10 minutes, let your child move real objects, and stop while it's still fun.
Most of these games use things you already have: dried beans, socks, a die, a few toys. Pick the skill your child is working on, play one game for a few minutes today, and save the rest for the week.
All 12 games are for kindergarten, about ages 5 to 6. Each one names the skill it trains and gives an easier and a harder version. Ages are only a rough guide, so go by what your child enjoys and can do.
What do kindergartners learn in math?
Kindergarten math is mostly about numbers. The Common Core introduction for kindergarten says more learning time should go to number than to other topics. In plain words, most children spend the year on four things:
- Counting objects. Touch each object once, say one number for each, and know that the last number tells how many. The standard is K.CC.B.4.
- Counting on. Start counting from a given number, not only from 1 (K.CC.A.2).
- Comparing. Which group has more, fewer or the same (K.CC.C.6), and which of two written numbers from 1 to 10 is bigger (K.CC.C.7).
- Adding and taking away within 10 with objects or drawings (K.OA.A.2), splitting a number into two parts (K.OA.A.3), finding the number that makes 10 with another number (K.OA.A.4), and adding and subtracting within 5 quickly (K.OA.A.5). These are in the Operations and Algebraic Thinking standards.
These are US standards, and other countries have their own. Many schools also cover shapes in kindergarten, but this list sticks to number games.
If your child is younger or still learning to count to 10, our list of math activities for preschoolers starts a step earlier.
Counting games
1. Cup and counters
Skill: counting out a set number of things (K.CC.B.5). You need: a cup, about 15 dried beans or buttons, number cards 1 to 10 (paper is fine).
Turn over a number card, and that’s how many beans go into the cup. Count each one out loud as it drops in. Then pour the beans out in a line and count them together to check.
Easier: use cards 1 to 5. Harder: turn over two cards and fill the cup with the bigger number.
2. Start-anywhere hops
Skill: counting on from a given number (K.CC.A.2). You need: chalk outside, or paper squares numbered 1 to 20 on the floor.
Call out a starting number, like 7. From there, three hops forward should sound like “8, 9, 10.” Ask where they ended up. Change the start number each turn.
Easier: always hop two squares. Harder: start above 10, or call “hop back two” to count down.
3. Sock count shuffle
Skill: one-to-one counting, and knowing the last number is “how many” (K.CC.B.4). You need: 8 to 12 socks from the laundry pile.
Scatter the socks on the floor. Each sock gets one touch and one number. Ask, “So how many socks?”
Then bunch them into a pile and ask again. If they count again, that’s fine.
Play it again another day. If your child answers without recounting, ask how they knew. Moving the socks doesn’t change how many there are.
Easier: five socks in a straight line. Harder: twelve socks scattered, with no moving them while counting.
4. Dot flash
Skill: seeing a small amount at a glance, without counting one by one. You need: one die, or cards with 1 to 6 dots.
Show a die face for about two seconds, then cover it. Your child says how many dots they saw. Seeing small amounts at a glance has a name: subitizing. The dot patterns on dice make it easy to practice, because each number has its own dot pattern.
Easier: use only 1, 2 and 3. Harder: flash the die for just one second.
Comparing games
5. Domino more or same
Skill: comparing two small groups (K.CC.C.6). You need: a set of dominoes.
Put the dominoes face down. Your child picks one and says which half has more dots, or “same” if the halves match. They keep the domino if they’re right. A standard double-six set has 28 dominoes, and 7 of them are doubles, so about 1 in 4 dominoes is a “same”.
Easier: remove dominoes with more than 4 dots on a side. Harder: ask how many more dots the bigger side has.
6. Handful race
Skill: comparing groups by matching them up (K.CC.C.6). You need: a bowl of dry pasta.
You and your child each grab one handful. Line up both handfuls side by side in pairs, one of yours next to one of theirs. Whoever has pieces left over without a partner has more. You can use this matching trick even before your child can count big groups.
Easier: use big pieces like penne so the handfuls stay small. Harder: guess first who has more, then check by counting.
7. Number line-up
Skill: comparing written numbers from 1 to 10 (K.CC.C.7). You need: cards numbered 1 to 10.
Shuffle the cards and ask your child to lay them in a row from 1 to 10. Then ask them to close their eyes while you swap two cards. They open their eyes and find the swap. Ask them to say why: “8 can’t come before 6, it’s bigger.”
Easier: use cards 1 to 5. Harder: turn one card face down and ask which number is hiding.
Adding and taking away within 10
8. Bottle bowling
Skill: taking away from 10 (K.OA.A.2). You need: 10 empty plastic bottles and a soft ball.
Set up the 10 bottles. Your child rolls the ball, then counts how many fell and how many are still standing. Say it as a sentence: “3 fell down, so 7 are still standing.” Write it as 10 − 3 = 7 if your child likes writing numbers.
Easier: use 5 bottles. Harder: guess how many are standing before counting them.
9. Shake and spill
Skill: splitting a number into two parts (K.OA.A.3). You need: 5 two-colored counters, or 5 coins.
Put the counters in a cup, shake and spill. Count the red sides and the yellow sides: 2 and 3 make 5. With coins, count heads and tails.
Keep a tally of the splits you find. Five counters can land in 6 different ways if you count 2 red and 3 yellow as different from 3 red and 2 yellow. Can your child find all six?
Easier: use 3 counters. Harder: use 10 counters and find pairs that make 10.
10. How many are hiding?
Skill: finding the number that makes 10 (K.OA.A.4). You need: 10 small toys and a bowl.
Put out all 10 toys, then ask your child to close their eyes while you hide some under the bowl. They count the toys still showing and work out how many are hiding.
If 6 are showing, 4 are hiding, because 6 and 4 make 10. Lift the bowl to check.
Easier: start with 5 toys, or set the 10 toys out in a ten frame (two rows of five) so the gaps are easy to see. Harder: let your child hide toys and quiz you, then check your answer.
11. Finger flash
Skill: adding within 5 quickly (K.OA.A.5). You need: your hands.
Hold up some fingers on each hand, like 2 and 3, for a moment. Keep the total at 5 or less. Your child says the total. Swap roles so they make the sums for you.
Use the same few small totals again and again. Quick sums within 5 are the goal here.
Easier: show only one hand at a time. Harder: show a total and hide one hand: “I have 5. Here are 3. How many are behind my back?”
12. Toy story problems
Skill: acting out adding and taking away (K.OA.A.2). You need: a few toy animals or cars.
Tell a tiny story and act it out: “4 ducks are on the pond. 2 more swim over. How many ducks now?”
Then flip it: “6 ducks. 1 flies away. How many are left?” Let your child move the toys and tell you the next story.
Easier: keep totals to 5. Harder: tell the story without toys and let your child draw it.
Try it: dice counting game
This short game uses the same dice dots as Dot flash. In the first mode your child rolls and counts the dots. In the second mode they pick the die with more dots, or tap “Same”. Pip cheers correct answers and shows the right one after a miss.
Dice dots
Roll the dice and look at the dots. Pick a game and give it a go.
Tap Roll, then count the dots!
How many dots in all?
How to run a game that works
A few small habits make any of these games go better:
- Keep it short. End the game before your child gets tired of it.
- Use real objects. Beans, socks and toys make the numbers something your child can touch and move.
- Praise the effort, not the speed. Try “You checked by counting again, nice” rather than “you’re so fast”.
- Say the numbers out loud. Counting aloud while moving each object is the core of most counting games.
- Let your child win some rounds, and lose some. Both are part of playing a real game.
- Go one step easier when it’s hard. Every game above has an easier version. Use it without fuss.
Want more ideas for other ages? Our list of free math games for kids covers ages 3 to 10, and the multiplication guide picks up where these games leave off.
Where an app fits
Hands-on games come first at this age. A math app can add short extra practice, for example in the car or while dinner cooks. If you use online games, pick ones with no ads and short rounds, and sit with your child the first few times.
Our app, Math Learner, is made for ages 3 to 10. Its Numbers world has four skills that overlap with this post: counting bubbles, matching a number to a group, what comes next, and which number is bigger. Each level has 8 questions, and a child needs at least 80 percent to open the next level.
The first 15 levels of each world are free, one lesson a day. Premium removes the daily limit and opens all 50 levels in each world. There are no ads and no account.
If you’re comparing options, our guide to math apps for kids explains what to check before you install any app.
Questions parents ask
What math should a kindergartener know?
By the end of kindergarten, many schools expect children to count objects to answer how many, compare two groups, compare numbers from 1 to 10, and add and subtract within 10 using objects or fingers. Adding and subtracting within 5 is often expected to be quick. Every child moves at a different pace.
What are good math games for a 5 year old?
Try games where your child moves real things: counting beans into a cup, bowling at ten bottles and counting how many are still standing, or spilling five two-colored counters and naming the split. Keep the numbers within 10 so every round feels doable.
How long should a kindergarten math game last?
We suggest about 5 to 10 minutes for most 5 and 6 year olds, ending the game before your child gets bored. We also suggest a short game on most days rather than one long session on the weekend, since it fits more easily around dinner or the bath.
My child counts but loses track. What helps?
Line the objects up in a row and have your child touch or move each one as they say its number. Moving counted items into a cup or to the other side of the table makes it clear which ones are done. Start with five items, then grow to ten.
When is my child ready for adding?
A good sign is that your child can count a small group and tell you how many without counting again. Then start with real objects: three blocks and two more, how many now? Written sums like 3 + 2 can wait until the objects feel easy.
