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Common Core MathKindergartenCounting & Cardinality

K.CC.1: Count to 100 by Ones and Tens

Also written as K.CC.A.1 and CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.CC.A.1 · Cluster: Know number names and the count sequence.

Get the Hundreds ChartAll 22 Kindergarten Math Standards

The Official Wording

Count to 100 by ones and by tens.

Common Core State Standards, Kindergarten, Counting & Cardinality · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What K.CC.1 Means in Plain English

Kindergartners say the counting sequence out loud from 1 to 100, and count by tens: 10, 20, 30, up to 100. No objects yet, this is the sequence itself. The hard spots are the decade changes, like getting from 29 to 30 or 59 to 60 without stalling.

Most children arrive counting to 10 or 20 and build the rest over the year, a decade at a time. Counting forward from a number other than 1 is its own standard (K.CC.2), and in 1st grade the sequence stretches to 120, read and written (1.NBT.1).

K.CC.1 I Can Statements

  • I can count out loud from 1 to 100.
  • I can count by tens to 100.
  • I can keep counting when I get to a new ten.

K.CC.1 Worked Example

The count written out at the spots where children stall, with what a confident counter says at each one.

Problem

Count from 1 to 100 by ones, then count to 100 again by tens.

Crossing the tens on the way to 100
  1. Start with the ones. After nine comes a new ten.7, 8, 9, 10, 11
  2. The teens sound different, but they still go in order.17, 18, 19, 20, 21
  3. After 29 the next ten is thirty. Say the new ten, then start the ones again.28, 29, 30, 31, 32
  4. The same move works at every ten: 59, then sixty.58, 59, 60, 61
  5. After 99 the next number is one hundred, and the count is done.97, 98, 99, 100
  6. Now count by tens: only the decade names, in order, with nothing in between.10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100
Answer1 to 100 by ones, and 10 to 100 by tens

Check it: Point to each square on a hundreds chart while counting. Every row ends in a new ten, and the last square is 100.

Common Mistakes with K.CC.1

Stalling at a new ten

“27, 28, 29 ... 20? 40?”

Try this: Count by tens first so the decade names are ready, then practice just the bridges: 28, 29, 30, 31 and 38, 39, 40, 41.

Mixing up the teens

“13, 14, 16, 15, 17”

Try this: Chant the teens on their own with a hundreds chart in view, pointing to each square, until the order holds without the chart.

Skipping a whole decade

“58, 59, 70, 71”

Try this: Slow the count at every 9 and have the child say the next ten by itself before continuing: 59, sixty, 61.

Where K.CC.1 Fits

Comes BeforeK.CC.4Say one number name for each object in a small set, which comes well before the count reaches 100.
AlongsideK.CC.2Count forward from any number, not just from 1.K.CC.3Write the numerals 0 to 20.
Comes Next1.NBT.1Count to 120 starting from any number, and read and write those numerals.2.NBT.2Count within 1,000 and skip-count by 5s, 10s and 100s.

Practice K.CC.1

Number Line GeneratorFree ToolA number line from 0 to 100 marked in tens, for counting by tens with a finger hop at every mark.0 to 100Step 10Labeled
Make a Number Line

Quick Check

  1. What number comes after 39?
  2. Count by tens: 10, 20, 30, 40. What are the next three numbers?
  3. Sam is counting the steps to the playground. He has just said 68, 69. What number does he say next?

K.CC.1: Other Names

K.CC.1K.CC.A.1CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.CC.A.1

Common Core State Standards © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved. Official wording from the Common Core State Standards PDFs at corestandards.org, last checked October 14, 2026. The explanation, I can statements, example, mistakes and practice on this page are EMStudio’s own, written beside the official wording. They are not part of the standard.