Free Count the Shapes Worksheets for Kindergarten – Count and Tally

These free printable count the shapes worksheets give preschool and kindergarten children ten pages that put shape recognition and counting together. Each page shows a grid of twelve coloured shapes – circles, squares and triangles mixed up – and a tally box underneath with a row for each shape and an empty square for the answer.

There are always exactly twelve shapes on a page, which gives you a free way to check the work. If the three answers do not add up to twelve, something has been counted twice or missed, and the child can find the mistake themselves without being told where it is.

What Is in This Free Count the Shapes Worksheet Pack

• Ten printable worksheets, twelve shapes on every page.
• Three shapes throughout: circle, square and triangle.
• A tally box at the foot of each page with a row for each shape.
• Colours deliberately mixed, so a shape can never be found by its colour.
• Answers that always add up to twelve, which makes the page self-checking.
• A separate PDF for every page – no sign-up, no email address, no cost.

The 10 Count the Shapes Worksheets

There is no need to work through them in order. One page is a complete session for most five year olds.

Worksheet 1 – Count the Shapes (Set 1)

Twelve shapes in three rows, with circles, squares and triangles in six different colours. A straightforward first page.

Worksheet 2 – Count the Shapes (Set 2)

The same twelve-shape grid with a different mix. Two identical teal squares sit next to each other, which is where children most often count one twice.

Worksheet 3 – Count the Shapes (Set 3)

A page with more triangles than anything else, so the tally boxes end up uneven – useful, because children often expect them to match.

Worksheet 4 – Count the Shapes (Set 4)

The shapes are spread so that no colour belongs to only one shape. Counting by colour will not work on any page in this pack, and this one makes that plain.

Worksheet 5 – Count the Shapes (Set 5)

A more even split between the three shapes, which makes miscounting by one harder to spot without recounting.

Worksheet 6 – Count the Shapes (Set 6)

Halfway. By now most children have worked out that crossing shapes off as they count is easier than trying to remember.

Worksheet 7 – Count the Shapes (Set 7)

A page where the circles are scattered to the corners rather than grouped, so they have to be hunted rather than seen.

Worksheet 8 – Count the Shapes (Set 8)

Similar colours appear on different shapes here, which catches any child still using colour as a shortcut.

Worksheet 9 – Count the Shapes (Set 9)

One shape clearly outnumbers the other two on this page – worth asking which before counting, then checking the guess.

Worksheet 10 – Count the Shapes (Set 10)

The last page. Ask your child to add the three answers together and check they come to twelve.

Counting One Kind of Thing Out of Many

Counting a row of identical objects is one skill. Counting only the triangles in a mixed grid is a harder one, because the child has to hold two jobs in mind at once: decide whether each shape qualifies, and keep the running total. Losing the total while deciding is the commonest failure, and it is not a counting problem at all.

The fix is to write on the page. Crossing off or dotting each shape as it is counted frees a child from remembering where they have been, and children who are shown this once tend to keep doing it for years.

When Children Are Ready for These Worksheets

These pages suit children from about four and a half to six years old. A child should be able to count to twelve reliably, name the three shapes, and write the numerals; wobbly numbers are fine.

In American classrooms this brings together two kindergarten strands – counting to tell how many objects there are (Common Core K.CC.B.5) and identifying shapes regardless of size or orientation (K.G.A.2). Worksheets that combine two standards like this are harder than either one alone, which is worth remembering if a child who counts well suddenly struggles.

How to Use These Worksheets

1. Print one page and name the three shapes in the tally box first.
2. Count one shape at a time, all the way through the grid, before starting the next.
3. Cross off or dot each shape as it is counted.
4. Write each total in its box as you finish it, rather than at the end.
5. Add the three answers together and check they make twelve.

Three Things to Watch For

Counting all three shapes at once

Some children try to keep three running totals in their head at the same time. It almost never works. One shape at a time, all the way through, is far more reliable.

Counting by colour

If the first two triangles a child finds happen to be red, some will carry on looking only for red. The grids mix colours across shapes precisely so this shows up.

Not using the check

The totals always come to twelve. A child who is shown this once has a way of catching their own mistakes for the rest of the pack, which is worth more than any correction from an adult.

Printing Tips

• Choose Actual size or Fit to page so the pictures and letters stay large.
• Each page fills one sheet and works on both US Letter and A4 paper.
• Slip a page into a plastic wallet and use a dry-wipe pen to reuse it with more than one child.
• These pages use a lot of colour, but they work in greyscale too – and arguably better, since the colours stop competing with the shapes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What age are these count the shapes worksheets for?

About four and a half to six years old – pre-K and kindergarten.

How many shapes are on each page?

Always twelve, so the three answers add up to twelve every time.

Which shapes are used?

Circle, square and triangle on all ten pages.

Is there an answer key?

No separate key is needed – adding the three answers to check they make twelve does the same job.

Do I need to sign up to download these?

No. Every PDF downloads immediately, with no account, no email address and no cost.

Can I use these in my classroom?

Yes, they are free to print for home and classroom use. Please do not sell them or re-host the files elsewhere.

More Free Counting and Shape Worksheets

• Free Shape Recognition Worksheets – Circle All the Shapes
• Free Color by Shape Worksheets – Read the Key and Color
• Free Count and Graph Worksheets – Picture Graphs
• Free Tally Marks Worksheets – Count and Draw Tallies
• Free Sort Shapes by Sides Worksheets – Count and Classify
• Free Counting 1 to 10 Worksheets – Count and Write