Kindergarten Tally Marks Worksheet: Count Bundles of Five up to 20

Show a five-year-old a row of tally marks and they will usually count every stick, one by one, crossing lines included. This kindergarten tally marks worksheet teaches a faster way. Eight colored boxes each hold red tally marks, from a single bundle of five up to four bundles. Beside each box, an empty circle waits for a number. Children count the marks and write the total, so the page also practices numbers up to 20. The PDF has two pages: the worksheet and its answer key.

Why the crossing line matters

A tally bundle is four lines with a fifth line across them, and that diagonal stroke turns five sticks into one group. Once your child sees it, counting gets much faster.

So the box with four bundles is not twenty separate sticks to count one by one. It is five, ten, fifteen, twenty. Moreover, this is the same idea as the fingers on one hand. Educators call it grouping, and it builds number sense long before written sums.

The page also asks for writing numbers up to 20. That links each group of marks to its written number. Big ideas, small sticks.

At the table: count by bundles, not by sticks

Start with the box that holds one bundle. Ask, "How many sticks? Touch each one." Then hold up one hand next to it and compare.

After that, try a box with two bundles and say, "Five, ten," while you tap each bundle. Move on to the boxes with loose sticks only once this feels easy.

However, a common slip comes with two bundles and three loose sticks, where a child may skip the crossing lines and write 11. Instead of correcting, ask, "How many sticks hide in one bundle?" Let your child count it again, slowly.

Finally, read each written number aloud together, since hearing the groups of five helps them stick.

After the page: keep score in Go Fish

Tally marks belong in games. The next time you play Go Fish, keep score with tallies on a scrap of paper. Each time someone makes a match, add a line, and when the fifth match comes, draw it across the bundle.

Also, count real sticks or pencils with your child: line up four, then lay the fifth one across them. Finally, at the end of the day, tally the glasses of water your child drinks.

When you finish the page, check it with the answer key and praise the work: "You counted every bundle by fives. That is smart counting."