Count down from 10 to 1: one fewer

Kindergarten (ages 5–6)

Take away 1 with numbers up to 10: two children and a rabbit beside a ten frame of ten carrots and a frame with one carrot fewer, next to a question mark.

Count down from 10 to 1: your child starts from the top number, goes back one and writes the bottom number. The answer shows right away. Free, ages 5-6.

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Teaching documentation of the game “Count down from 10 to 1”

About this game

Two rows in a grid: the bottom row has one fewer than the top row. Write the number. The right answer appears after each question.

Count down from 10 to 1: going back one number in a grid

Counting down means starting from a number and going back. For example, when you count backwards, eight comes after nine. Knowing how to count down from 10 to 1 helps a child understand that each number is one less than the next one. This idea prepares for subtraction in the first year of primary school.

A game has five questions. First, a voice reads the instruction. The screen shows two rows in a grid. The number for the top row appears in bold. The bottom row has one fewer: an empty box shows it. Then the child writes the bottom number. There is only one try, then the game shows the right answer straight away.

At home, play rocket launch: “Ten, nine, eight… zero!” Then line up some toys and take one away each time, saying the new number. This way, your child learns to count down from 10 to 1 while watching the set get smaller.

This game is for children aged 5 to 6, in the last year of preschool. It is free on computer, tablet and phone.

Counting down tip: look at the empty box

First, read the top number with a grown-up. Then look at the bottom row. Can you see an extra empty box? Then one is missing. Start from the top number and go back one number. For example: nine… eight! You can also count backwards quietly. Finally, write that number in the empty circle.