Fun Ways to Practice Counting with Your Preschooler

Counting is an important part of foundational math skill that children begin developing from a young age. Many toddlers begin counting and kindergarteners are expected to be counting to 20 when they enter school. Counting with your preschooler takes some practice but should be fun!

“Yikes, my kid’s teacher says he’s not counting. I’ll break out the flashcards and the iPad.”

Maybe it’s time for a reset on the more structured thinking about counting.

Embedding counting into play throughout the day is so easy, but we may not think about it as we rush through our days. There are many opportunities to do this that can combine into ways to connect and bond with your little one!

What are they learning?

It’s kind of crazy, but children can usually rote count a while before they can understand what numbers represent. By kindergarten, children are generally expected to rote count up to 20. That’s straight up reciting the numbers in order- they don’t necessarily understand how many 20 is. For our littles, it’s almost like a song. Similar to how they can learn to sing the ABCs long before they understand the concept of letters.

Counting objects and understanding that 1 means one bear and 3 means three bears comes along a little slower. This concept, called 1:1 correspondence, is also learned in toddler and preschool years, but generally starts with the concept of 1 item vs 2 items. Generally speaking, children understand 1 to 5 then they move on to bigger numbers. It’s really cool to watch them learn this concept!

1) Embed it into your day

To begin with, I think we forget how new counting is to our little guys. They’re still new here. At first, it’s great to just expose your little to counting, just counting. They need to hear the numbers throughout their day. Playing counting songs in the car, reciting counting poems as you walk, “1, 2, 3, just you and me!” If you dig into your mental vault, you may remember some silly songs you knew as a child. (Here’s a link to jog your memory.) I’ve pulled together a few favorites to create a Counting Playlist on Spotify.

2) Add a motor activity

For those really busy kids, adding a motor component can be great way to help with focus. For example, on the swing, count as you push. The slow pace of the counting can be rhythmic and calming as well as educational. Counting as you walk up stairs can be a super simple way to stay present and encourage focus as well as learning to count.

My own kids loved the count down on the swings to “BLAST OFF!!” when they would get the biggest push ever.

3) Count while waiting

As an adult, I definitely use this strategy as I’m waiting at a stop light. Waiting is a pretty challenging skill and being able to wait will serve your child well throughout their lives. If your little is starving and you’re finishing up your prep, start counting slowly and clearly. If you’re waiting in line at a store, count to 10. Then count down from 10. Then count really, really fast, then really, really S L O W L Y. By hearing the same numbers in different ways, they will start to remember the patterns. By using some creativity, you can help a child learn patience by modeling patience for them as well as learning to count.

4) Count their favorites

How many legos do we have? Have many babydolls? At first, I wouldn’t even worry about the accuracy. Line up some cars and go. Especially at the beginning, it’s just fun to see some of their favorite items together and show them how to touch each one as they count. If they pretend to count later, even better.

Like the suggestion above, your little will learn other skills with this one as well. They will begin to learn to sort and categorize. Does the garbage truck go with the cars? Should we make a group of just trucks?

5) Count BIG things

To add to the motor movement activities and increase attention, count all the windows in your home. Count all the cabinet doors in the kitchen. Count all the sinks, the beds. These big items can be fun to find. Is there a window in the basement? By moving from room to room, they will be developing their memory as well. We counted all the windows in the kitchen, what’s next?

Final Notes on Counting

As with all skills, there is huge variability in what children can do at certain ages. The most important takeaway is that learning to count should be another way for you to connect with your little one. My biggest priority for any early academics is that children should learn to LOVE learning. If counting is a fun activity that they do with their parent, then it’s a success.

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