Loading preview...

Features

Numeral cards with red counters laid in pairs under them, as on the rug
Count the counters and write the number on the card
Draw counters in pairs under each numeral
Circle odd or even: an odd number has one counter left alone
Counters to 20, counted and called odd or even
Circle the odd cards from 1 to 10, then fill in a chart where odd and even take turns
Every page in color and in black and white
Answer keys included

Skills Covered

Count a set of counters to 20 and write the number
Lay counters in pairs to show a number
Tell odd numbers from even numbers

Explain odd as one left without a partner
See that odd and even numbers take turns
Know the order of the numbers 1 to 20

How to Use This Pack

Five pages built on the cards and counters, the Montessori work where the numeral cards 1 to 10 are laid in order and the right number of red counters is placed under each, two by two. Page 1 has ten groups of counters in a mixed order: the child counts each group and writes its number on the card. Page 2 has eight numeral cards: the child draws that many counters under each, in pairs. Page 3 shows cards with their counters and asks whether each number is odd or even, with the finger check: run a finger down between the pairs, and a counter in the way means odd. Page 4 goes on to numbers from 11 to 20: count, write the number and circle odd or even. Page 5 lays out all ten cards to circle the odd ones, then has two charts to fill in where the odd and even numbers to 20 take turns.

In the Classroom

Give the pages after the child has laid out the real cards and counters: the cards 1 to 10 in a row, the counters placed in pairs under each, the odd one alone in the middle. Show the finger check with the real counters, then let the child try it on the page. The material has 55 counters in all, the control of error: if counters are left over or run out, a number has the wrong count. On page 5 ask what the child notices about the odd cards: every other one.

At Home

Write the numbers 1 to 10 on cards and lay them in a row. Use buttons, coins or pasta as counters and place them under each card two by two. Which numbers have a button left alone? Run a finger down between the pairs together. Then try a bigger number, like 13, with a pile of buttons.

Tips for Success

Lay the counters two by two, side by side, with the odd one alone in the middle
Run a finger down between the pairs: a counter in the way means the number is odd
Even numbers have a partner for every counter
Odd and even take turns: 1 is odd, 2 is even, 3 is odd, and so on
The ones digit tells you too: numbers ending in 0, 2, 4, 6 or 8 are even

Common Core Standards Alignment

This pack supports the following Common Core State Standards for Mathematics:

K.CC.B.4a Count objects by saying numbers in order and matching exactly one number to each object, none skipped or counted twice.
K.CC.B.4b Know the final number in a count gives the total, and the total stays the same however the objects are arranged or counted.
K.CC.B.5 Tell how many: up to 20 objects in a line, array or circle, or 10 scattered. Also count out a requested number up to 20.
2.OA.C.3 Decide if up to 20 objects are odd or even (match them in twos or skip count by 2s); write evens as doubles.

Montessori Cards and Counters: Odd and Even

K – 1st Grade

The Montessori cards and counters: numeral cards with red counters laid in pairs under them, so an odd number shows one counter left alone. Children count the counters and write the number, draw counters in pairs, tell odd from even with the finger check, go on to 20, and see that odd and even numbers take turns.

Download PDF

What’s Included

5 worksheets in color and in black and white, with answer keys (15 pages)
Count the counters, and draw counters in pairs
Odd or even with the finger check, to 10 and to 20
The odd cards, and charts where odd and even take turns

Can’t find what you need?

Tell us what to make next, or build your own with a worksheet maker.

Suggest a worksheet

Free to print and share

This worksheet is free to download, print, copy, and hand out in your classroom or at home. You do not need to create an account, and there are no watermarks on the PDF.