| Counting activities |
Very young children simply do not know what we mean when we ask them 'how many?' and it takes a long time for most children to understand what a number is. This isn't surprising because it is a difficult area for a child to grasp. From an early age, children learn the names of things like 'cup', 'teddy bear' and 'car'. These are relatively easy for them to learn because we can point to a cup and say its name.
After this has happened a few times, many children learn to recognise the word, and later to say it themselves. But learning what we mean by 'two' and 'four' is much harder for a child. Many children learn about the idea of 'how many' very gradually. They are helped in the early stages if you draw their attention to the way numbers match things or objects, like giving each person a glass of something to drink: 'one glass for Molly … one for Sam … one for …' and so on.
- Counting together
Count as many things as you can. Bathtime is a good time to get your child to count how many fingers and toes they have. Count the stairs as you climb them.
- Ten things in a matchbox
Find an empty matchbox. Ask your child to find ten little things (all different) that will fit inside, all at once. Afterwards, help your child count the contents. This is good for both counting and learning about size.
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