Math · Stage 1
Count on, count back
Add and take away 1, 2 and 10 by hopping on and back along the line.
✦ Math📘 Stage 1 · S1⏱ ~9 min🧒 Ages 5–6★ Free to start
add and subtract 1, 2 and 10 mentally by counting on and back.
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Kavi's Number Tower 🏰
Kavi's nest is at the top of the Number Tower — but today the lift is broken! So Kavi takes the stairs: one step at a time (+1), two steps at a time (+2), or one giant ten-jump (+10) 🚀. "Going up is adding," says Kavi. "And if I go too far, I come back down — that's taking away: the same hops, the other way!"
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What your child will learn
1One step up, one step downKavi climbs the Number Tower one step at a time. Three hops to learn: 1, 2 and 10. First, one step at a time: going up is +1 — the next number; going back down is −1 — the number just before.
2Hop by twoA hop of 2 skips over one number. Going up is +2; going back is −2 — the same hop, the other way.
3A giant jump of tenA hop of 10 is a giant leap: it jumps a whole ten. Only the tens change — the ones digit stays put.
4Hop in your headNow hop in your head — no line to draw. The bright tens (0, 10, 20) are your landmarks.
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A peek inside
Kavi is on step 9 of the Number Tower. Hop on 2. Where does Kavi land?
9 → 11 (skip 10)
Try this at home: Count on: 4 + 1 = __ · 4 + 2 = __ · 4 + 10 = __
Ready to play and learn?
Start the free interactive lesson, or print the handout for screen-free play.
Part of Math · Stage 1 · S1 on KAVI Academy — a secular, whole-child learning platform for ages 5–12.