Count the toys. The last number you say is how many there are.
Step 1: Let's Learn
Read it, or press Listen and follow the words.
The last number is the answer
Touch each ball as you count. One. Two. Three. Four. The last number you said was four. So there are four balls.
Check it
Count again from the other end. You get the same number.
Step 2: Try It Yourself
Tap and try it out.
How many in all
How many
2 and 2 make 4.
Step 3: In Real Life
Buying apples
Mom puts apples in a bag. One, two, three, four. The last number is four. So there are four apples.
Step 4: Watch an Example
One step at a time.
Watch Bo Count Twice
Bo counts four balls from the left.
- Step 1
He counts one, two, three, four.
Watch Ivy Count Her Blocks
Ivy has some blocks. Ivy starts. You finish.
- Step 1
Ivy touches each block once as she counts.
Step 5: Your Turn
Practice makes it stick.
The Toy Box
Problem 1 of 12
You count three toys. How many toys are there?
The Fish Tank
Problem 2 of 12
Nia counts the fish in her tank. How many fish?
How Many Altogether
The last number you say is how many.
Problem 3 of 12
You counted to five. How many?
Problem 4 of 12
You counted to two. How many?
Problem 5 of 12
Count these balls. How many?
Find the Mistake
A friend counted. Can you spot the slip?
Problem 6 of 12
Kai counts these balls. He says three. What did Kai do?
Problem 7 of 12
How many balls are there?
Problem 8 of 12
Ana counts these stars. She says four. What did Ana do?
Problem 9 of 12
How many stars are there?
Which Way?
Pick the one that works.
Problem 10 of 12
Mia counts the apples. Which number tells how many?
Problem 11 of 12
Tom counts from this end. Then from that end. Which is true?
Put Them Together
Tap to add stars.
Problem 12 of 12
Make two stars, then three more. How many boxes is that?
How many
Step 6: Quick Check
Show what you know.
Question 1 of 1
You counted to four. How many are there?
Ready for more?Optional. Past the lesson, for anyone who wants it.
Stretch 1 of 1
Some flowers are red. Some are yellow. How many flowers altogether?
What You Learned
- The last number you say is how many.
- Counting the other way gives the same answer.
For the grown-up
Six is not the name of the last toy. Six is how big the group is, and it belongs to all of them together. Children frequently believe the final number labels the final object.
Counting from the other end is the demonstration that settles it: the toys did not change, only the route the finger took. How many there are cannot depend on where you started.
Two counts, two directions, one answer. That is the whole argument, and it is one a four-year-old can carry out themselves rather than take on trust.