Collection — 4 cupcakes — free printable diagram

How many cupcakes are on this counting card?

There are 4 cupcakes on this card — four. It is printed with no numeral and no label, so the counting is left to the student.

How many

4

In words

four

Odd or even

even

One more

5

One less

3

Double

4 + 4 = 8

To make ten

4 + 6 = 10

• Up to about five objects can usually be recognised at a glance, without counting them one at a time — that is called subitising. Show the card for a second, cover it, and ask how many: a student who answers straight away is subitising, and one who needs to see it again is still counting.
• The card carries no numeral and no label, so the same picture works as a counting task, as a "write the numeral" task, or as a quick check of whether a student can count a set reliably and say how many without recounting.
• 4 is even, so this set can be shared equally between two: 4 ÷ 2 = 2 each, with none left over.
• 4 and 6 make 10, so pairing this card with a card showing 6 fills a ten frame — the number bond most early number work is built on.