Counting Bugs Worksheet

Counting is where every other math skill starts. Before a child can add, compare, or solve a word problem, they have to be able to look at a group of objects, touch each one exactly once, and say the number that tells how many. This counting bugs worksheet gives kindergarten students that practice with sets of ladybugs, bees, and butterflies, and then asks them to write the numeral they land on. Counting a group and writing its number are two different skills, and this page builds both in one place.

This kindergarten counting worksheet has two parts. In the first part, students count three lines of bugs and write how many they counted in the box beside each line. The bugs sit in even, evenly spaced lines so a child can point and count without losing their place, and the sets are not in order down the page, so every answer has to be counted rather than guessed. In the second part, students fill in the missing numerals in two number lines that run from one to ten. Read the directions aloud, let students point and count out loud the first time through, and use the answer key to check together.

What’s Included

• 1 print-ready PDF worksheet
• Answer key
• 3 count-the-bugs picture sets with answer boxes
• 2 missing-number sequences from 1 to 10

Three things make this counting bugs worksheet work for young learners. First, the pictures are large and clearly separated, so a five-year-old can touch each bug as they count it, which is exactly how one-to-one correspondence is built. Second, the answer boxes are all the same size, so nothing on the page hints at which number is coming, and students have to do the counting themselves. Third, the number sequences at the bottom connect counting to writing, so children practice forming the numerals one through ten while the meaning of each number is still fresh in their minds.

Keep the counting going away from the page. Hunt for bugs on a walk and count what you find, or hide plastic bugs around the room and count them as they are collected. Line up buttons, blocks, or crackers in rows of ten and count them together, then ask how many there would be if you added one more. Sing a counting song while clapping each number, and let children write the numerals in sand, shaving cream, or with sidewalk chalk. Short, playful repetition is what moves counting from something a child recites to something a child understands.

Related Resources

• School Counting Worksheet
• Fruit Counting Worksheet
• Vegetable Counting Worksheet
• Count to 10 Micro Lesson (Have Fun Teaching on YouTube)