Ages 4-5
Count the Ducks: 1 to 10
Count groups of ducks and match them to the numbers 1 to 10
How many ducks do you see?
Count the Ducks: 1 to 10
10 cards — count along, then hear the answer
Tap the card to see the answer, tap again for the next one
Every number on this page
The same ducklings, now up to ten. Past five a child can no longer see how many there are at a glance and has to count them one at a time, which is why the groups here are laid out in rows of three and always the same way.
1 Duck
One Duck
2 Ducks
Two Ducks
3 Ducks
Three Ducks
4 Ducks
Four Ducks
5 Ducks
Five Ducks
6 Ducks
Six Ducks
7 Ducks
Seven Ducks
8 Ducks
Eight Ducks
9 Ducks
Nine Ducks
10 Ducks
Ten Ducks
For grown-ups
Somewhere around four or five, recognising a quantity at a glance stops working and counting has to take over. Watch for the moment your child stops answering instantly and starts pointing — that is not a step backwards, it is the more reliable method arriving. Rows of three help, because six reads as two threes rather than as a crowd.
Common questions
Why are ducks good for early counting?
They are familiar from books and bath time, so a child is not learning the word and the number at once. The counting is the only new thing on the card.
My child could count five ducks but gets lost at eight. Why?
Counting eight means holding your place while looking for the next one. That is memory as much as counting, and it arrives later. Counting in rows of three makes it easier to keep track.
Try next: Count Ducks 1 to 5 · Count Flowers 1 to 10 · Count Stars 1 to 10 · All counting decks