Tally marks chart
Tally marks count with one line for each thing. The fifth line goes across the four before it, so the marks fall into bundles of five that are quick to count: 7 is one bundle and two more lines.
Free printable PDF, Kindergarten to 2nd grade.
One page, black and white, prints the same every time.
What is on the sheet
1 to 10
| Number | Tally marks |
|---|---|
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| 6 | |
| 7 | |
| 8 | |
| 9 | |
| 10 |
11 to 20
| Number | Tally marks |
|---|---|
| 11 | |
| 12 | |
| 13 | |
| 14 | |
| 15 | |
| 16 | |
| 17 | |
| 18 | |
| 19 | |
| 20 |
Making tally marks
Draw one short line for each thing you count, side by side. When there are four lines, the fifth goes across them on a slant, and the next line starts a new bundle. Leave a little space between bundles so each one stands apart.
To read tally marks, count the bundles by fives and then count on by ones: three bundles and two lines is 5, 10, 15, then 16, 17.
Where tally marks come in
Kindergarten counts objects and writes how many (CCSS K.CC.B.4, K.CC.B.5), and tally marks are a way to keep track while counting. 1st grade collects data and records it, and the tally chart is where most children first use them (1.MD.C.4). Counting the bundles by fives also practices skip counting, which 2nd grade uses to count to 1,000 (2.NBT.A.2).
Common questions
- Why is the fifth tally mark drawn across?
- So the marks fall into groups of five. Counting by fives is quicker than counting every line, and a bundle of five is easy to see at a glance.
- What is the difference between tally marks and a tally chart?
- Tally marks are the lines themselves. A tally chart is a table that uses them to record data, such as how many children chose each color.