Counting without losing your place
How to count a big group of things and get the same answer every time.
The hard part is not the numbers
You already know how to say one, two, three. The hard part is remembering which things you have counted already.
So do not leave it to your memory. Touch each thing as you say its number, and push it across as you go. The counted ones end up in one place and the rest in another, and your hand has kept your place for you.
Rows of five go faster
Once things are lined up in rows of five, you do not have to count one at a time.
Say five, ten, fifteen as you pass each full row. Then count the leftovers one by one.
Three full rows and two left over: five, ten, fifteen — sixteen, seventeen.
Check by counting a different way
If you counted left to right, count again right to left. If you counted in ones, count again in fives.
Getting the same number twice is how you know you have it. Getting two different numbers is not a disaster — it is the check doing its job. Slow down and count once more, touching each one.
Count the groups, then the leftovers
When things are already in rows, do not start at one. Count the full rows in fives — five, ten, fifteen — and then count whatever is left over one at a time.
Seventeen counters in three rows of five with two spare is fifteen, then sixteen, seventeen. Three numbers instead of seventeen.
The fewer numbers you have to say, the fewer chances there are to lose your place, which is the whole reason for counting this way.
Make your own groups when there are none
If the things are scattered, push them into groups of five or ten first. Moving them takes a moment and makes the counting almost impossible to get wrong.
On paper you cannot move anything, so draw round each group of five instead, or put a small mark on each one as you count it.
Either way you are turning a long count into a short one, which is what all of this is for.
Worked examples
There are two full rows of five stars and three more underneath. How many stars?
Do not start at one. Take the full rows first: five, then ten. Now count the three leftovers on from ten: eleven, twelve, thirteen.
Answer: 13
You count a pile of blocks and get 14. You count again and get 15. What should you do?
Two different answers means one of the counts went wrong, and you cannot tell which. Do not pick the one you like. Line the blocks up in rows of five, then count once more, touching each one.
Answer: Count again, touching each block
There are 4 full rows of five counters. How many counters?
Count the rows in fives: five, ten, fifteen, twenty. There are no leftovers to add on.
Answer: 20
There are 3 full rows of ten and 4 left over. How many altogether?
Count the rows in tens: ten, twenty, thirty. Then the leftovers one at a time: thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four.
Answer: 34
You count a jar of buttons twice and get 28 then 26. What should you do?
Two different answers means one count went wrong. Group them into fives or tens and count again — grouped counting gives the same answer every time.
Answer: Group them and count a third time
Why is counting in fives easier than counting in ones?
You say far fewer numbers, so there are far fewer places to lose track. Twenty things is four numbers in fives and twenty numbers in ones.
Answer: Fewer numbers to say means fewer mistakes
kalvy.io/learn/counting-in-fives-and-tens
Ready to try it?
Practice questions on Counting and Numbers, with instant feedback. Free account.
Already have an account? Sign in to practise.