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Features

Count the legs on owls, bears, spiders, and more
Skip count legs by 2s and 4s
Write equal groups as addition
Add up the legs in mixed groups
Work back from the legs to find how many animals
Every page in color and in black and white
Answer keys included

Skills Covered

Count the legs on an animal
Skip count by 2s and 4s
Write equal groups as repeated addition

Describe equal groups ("3 groups of 4")
Add three or four numbers
Find a missing number of groups

How to Use This Pack

Six pages that grow from counting to early multiplication, all built on one question: how many legs? Page 1 counts the legs on single animals. Pages 2 and 3 skip count legs by 2s and 4s with a running total under each animal. Page 4 writes equal groups as an addition sentence and as "groups of." Page 5 adds up the legs in mixed groups, and page 6 works backward from the legs to find how many animals there are.

In the Classroom

Start with a quick talk: how many legs does a bird have? A spider? A snake? Then do page 1 together. Pages 2 and 3 work well as a whole-class chant, counting by 2s and 4s as you point to each animal. Page 6 is a good partner page: one student draws, the other checks the addition.

At Home

Ask your child how many legs are in the room right now, counting people and pets. Count by 2s for people and by 4s for dogs and cats, just like on the pages.

Tips for Success

Point to each leg while counting on page 1
Say the totals out loud when skip counting
A snake has 0 legs, so it adds 0
On page 6, draw circles or sticks instead of whole animals
Color the animals when the page is done

Common Core Standards Alignment

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

1.OA.A.2 Solve story problems where three numbers are added together for a total of 20 or less.
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.
2.OA.C.4 Use adding to find the total in an array with at most 5 rows and 5 columns, and write it as repeated addition.
2.NBT.B.6 Find the sum of two, three or four two-digit numbers using place value and properties of addition.
3.OA.A.1 Understand a product as the total in equal groups, such as 4 × 6 meaning 4 groups with 6 in each.

How Many Legs?

1st – 3rd Grade

Counting animal legs, from single animals to early multiplication. Students skip count legs by 2s and 4s, write equal groups as addition, add up mixed groups and work back from the legs to find how many animals.

Download PDF

What’s Included

6 worksheets in color and in black and white, with answer keys (18 pages)
Counting, skip counting, equal groups, mixed groups, and leg puzzles
Owls, penguins, bears, cats, frogs, elephants, lions, spiders, and snakes
Color pages for screens and color printers; black-and-white pages kids can color

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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.