Counting On and Back

When you count, you don't always have to begin at 1. You can pick up the count from any number you like.

Start at a number and keep going forwards — counting on. Or go the other way, saying the numbers in reverse — counting back. If you start at 7 and count on three, you say 8, 9, 10. Start at 7 and count back three, you say 6, 5, 4.

Press play, then replay it: each time a marker drops onto a fresh starting number, hops forward a few steps (counting on), then turns around and hops back a few steps (counting back), reading aloud every number it lands on.

This is the bridge to addition and subtraction: adding is just counting on, and taking away is just counting back.

Khan Academy Kids shows counting on here: