Subitizing: Spotting Quantities at a Glance
What is Subitizing?
Have you ever looked at a small group of objects like three apples on a table and just knew how many there were, without counting one by one? That’s subitizing. Our brain can instantly recognize the number of items in a small group. Most adults can do this easily with up to 5–7 objects. For kids, though, this is a skill they develop step by step and it plays a bigger role in learning math than you might think.
Why Does Subitizing Matter for Kids?
Subitizing helps kids understand what numbers really mean. Sure, many preschoolers can recite: “one, two, three…” But for some, these words are just a song. To truly grasp the number 4, a kid needs to know that four means four toy cars, four blocks, four kitty paws, and so on. Subitizing helps kids correspond numbers to quantities, instead of just repeating number words without meaning.
In one study, kids played simple subitizing games. Dots flashed on the screen too quickly to count, and the researchers asked the kids whether there were more blue dots or yellow dots. Just through play, their number sense improved significantly.
Research shows that kids who learn to subitize build a strong foundation for mathematical thinking. They don’t just memorize that 2 and 3 make 5 — they see it in front of them. Subitizing lays the groundwork for comparing numbers, understanding addition, and developing a “feel” for quantity—skills that are essential for success in school and beyond.
How Do We Teach?
At first, kids count objects one by one — they point to the first and say “one,” then to the next and say “two,” and so on. Later, they start to recognize familiar patterns, like the dots on a dice. In some games, there’s no time to count. Kids have to give an answer quickly, so they guess by looking, not counting. That’s subitizing in action.
This skill helps them recognize bigger numbers too. For example, 10 objects are easy to spot when they’re arranged as two groups of five. Tools like the 5-frame, 10-frame, and hundred chart help kids see numbers this way.
First Steps
Seeing Numbers Without Counting
Around age 3 or 4, kids play a game where they need to feed a monkey the exact number of berries — not more, not less. Each berry goes in its own bowl, but the berries on the branches and the bowls are arranged differently. This helps kids learn that five berries can be lined up neatly or scattered around, but it’s still five. And the monkey will be just as happy either way.
Quantities & addition
Matching equal quantities up to 5 (objects only)
Sometimes, the objects are arranged in a clear pattern, like the dots on a dice. Other times, they’re all over the place. If a kid isn’t sure, they can slow down and count each one.
We use games and activities with time limits to make it fun and fast. For example, kids might see a card with objects for just a few seconds, then have to remember which one showed exactly four. Or they race against a virtual opponent to spot which group has more. In these games, kids learn to recognize quantities quickly, without counting one by one.
Quite often, the task isn’t to say the number at all. Instead, kids simply need to find the group that has more objects.
Subitizing
Subitize numbers (up to 5)
Counting (up to 10)
Factors and multiples
Subitizing & comparison
Subitize and compare up to 5 (objects only)
Counting
Counting (up to 10)
Deep Understanding
Using Number Structures and Relationships
Most of us can recognize small quantities like 3 or 5 without counting. But when it comes to 9, it’s much harder to tell at a glance. Still, bigger numbers can be “seen” without counting if they’re arranged in clear structures. For example, 9 is easy to spot when it’s shown as a 3-by-3 square. And 10 can be arranged as a triangle made of 1 + 2 + 3 + 4.
Subitizing
Subitize numbers (up to 10)
And then there are fingers — the most natural way to represent numbers. Teaching kids to spot the five inside a bigger number is key. Take 7: it’s five fingers on one hand and two on the other. That’s exactly how numbers are shown in the 5-frame — first five, then the rest.
Now, when kids feed the monkey, they rely on the number itself, both the digit 5 and the word “five” to choose the right amount of berries. Out of many pictures, they pick the one that shows exactly the number of objects they need.
Subitizing
Subitize numbers (up to 10)
Subitizing
Subitize numbers (up to 10)
Quantities & addition
Subitize within 6 (objects and numbers)
Counting
Counting (up to 10)
Confident Mastery
Learning the Power of Tens
When there are lots of things to count, kids learn to group them by fives and then by tens. For example, it’s much easier to spot ten dots when they’re lined up in two rows of five. In a game where the snowman needs 25 snowballs, kids figure out that it’s two tens and one more five — or five rows of five snowballs.
Multiplication up to 6
Multiplication by 5 within 30 (numbers only)
And when even tens aren’t enough, they start putting those tens into hundreds. This helps them understand how the decimal system works and what each digit means in a big number. That’s the first step toward understanding place value.
Ordinal numbers
Numbers and quantities
Hundred
Tens and ones
Big numbers
Regrouping
Big numbers
Regrouping
Big Ideas
When kids get used to spotting quantities at a glance and noticing how objects are arranged, they start thinking like real mathematicians.
If each row has the same number of objects, it’s easier to count by twos, threes, fives, and so on. This helps kids build an intuitive understanding of multiplication.
When there are lots of things to count, they begin grouping them into tens, and then tens into hundreds. This is how they start to make sense of the decimal system.
