Is your child learning to count? This is a fundamental skill that everyone needs to learn. After all, you have to learn how to count before you can do math. Try these activities, and your child should be counting with confidence very soon!
Create a Number Drawing Book
This may sound a little old school, but it works! To start, you can use a sketchpad or a small stack of printer paper stapled together. Write a number (1-20) on each page. Then, instruct your child to draw a certain number of things on each page. If your child loves bugs, for example, have them draw one bug on page one and two bugs on page two. To make it fun, you can change up the different types of coloring materials they’re using, like markers, crayons, and washable paint pens.
Is drawing a challenge for your child? Or do you want to change it up on some pages? Use stickers! To complete a 20-page number book, you’ll need 210 stickers—so we definitely encourage using sticker rolls.
Have a Child-Friendly Board Game Night
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Kids love games! They also tend to value the time they get to spend with their parents. Make it a big deal to host a family game night. Let your child help plan out snacks, and try to do it on a night where everyone is home. Then, play a game that includes counting in some way or form.
Here are some of our favorite child-friendly board games (for kids ages 3+):
- Candyland
- Chutes and Ladders
- The Ladybug Game
- Hi Ho! Cherry-O
- Count Your Chickens
Teach Through Cooking
Does your child love food? Do they like helping out in the kitchen? You can take full advantage of this opportunity to teach your child how to cook and how to count at the same time.
First, choose easy recipes that are safe to have them involved. Here are some examples:
- Fruit Smoothie
- Meatballs
- Chicken Quesadillas
- Burrito Bowls
- Pasta Salad
Second, make sure to ask questions while cooking with your child like, “How many strawberries do we have?” You can also assign your little one the task of counting how many cups of flour or rice you’re adding to the pan or bowl you’re working with. Let them know that what they’re doing is very important and helping you!
Third, set the example by counting everything as you go. As you cook, say things like “I need three tablespoons of olive oil” or “I need two cups of rice” and then count them out. Your child will see what you’re doing and model your actions. Encourage them to count the ingredients and measurements along with you!
Read! Read! Read!
Kids love books! Make sure to add counting books to your home library and read them one of them every day. Here are just some of our teachers’ favorite counting books:
- Doggies, by Sandra Boynton
- On the Launch Pad: A Counting Book About Rockets, by Michael Dahl
- Ten Little Ladybugs, by Melanie Gerth
- 20 Big Trucks in the Middle of the Street, by Mark Lee
- Ten Terrible Dinosaurs, by Paul Stickland
- How Many Snails? by Paul Giganti, Jr.
Is Your Child Ready to Start Their Preschool Education?
We hope you’ve been able to gather some good ideas to help your child learn to count! Early childhood education is super important. If you think about it, you use skills everyday as an adult that you first learned during those early years where you were first learning basics like counting. At Rising Stride Child Care Centers, we will help your child learn to count! Our preschool programs are play-based and academically focused. Visit our Contact Us page to fill out our form or give us a call. We’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have!