Welcome to Tractor Thursday where we are
learning, playing and exploring.
One of the first classroom skills we teach our children at home is learning to count. We start with counting to 3 then 5 and then 10. Often now school steps in and they start counting to 20 and higher. They start recognising numbers and they start to look at a group of things and see the ‘number’ of them.
Today I’m sharing 5 quick ways you can do at home to help with counting.
1. Read with your children. I know I said read! One of the ways children learn to count is through language and stories. Mikala was able to count to 7 because of a book that we read. She would count the items on the page with her finger. The repetition and familiar story helped to develop her number skills.
Books such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar, One Woolly Wombat, Five Speckled Frogs or Ten Little Fish.
Mikala reading to her pony.
2. Use your environment – point out 3 cows in a paddock and ask how many. Count the carriages on the train that goes past. If there are lots do it together. Look for numbers in magazines and on signs and ask children to read them. Hayden will tell you how fast you are allowed to travel by reading the speed signs.
3. Play games with your children. Lots of games use counting to either score or move through the game. They may have to learn to use a dice with dots for numbers, or read the numbers on a playing card. A personal favourite of mine for older children is Numero. Its a great number card game that changes as you get older. Other favourites are Skippo which counts up to 15 and games like Snakes and Ladders where you roll the dice and move. I wrote a great post which is about playing board games with your children and why its a great idea here.
4. Use Technology. We are able to use apps on our phone and iPad’s. (In another post I will suggest some to you), you can get them to help with the microwave, play with a calculator, recognise the numbers on a remote control to change channels. There are many incidental learning opportunities in the home.
5. Use a Counting Chart to practise counting. Following is a printable 1 – 100 counting chart. We have one on the wall to practise counting to 100 for Hayden. He is getting very interested but often gets to 30 and then starts counting by 10′s to 100. So this is a visual help. I have laminated it as we also use a whiteboard marker to find all the numbers that have a particular digit – such as ’6′. Hayden then needs to find them – helps with seeing number patterns too.
One of the other things I have used the chart for is to make a counting puzzle. you can make it as hard or as easy as you would like. Laminating makes them reusable and a bit stronger for little hands.
If you would like to download this number chart please click here.
(I have used the font Victorian Modern Cursive which is what my children are learning in Western Australia)
Finally remember it’s great whatever number your child can count to. It’s also OK to make mistakes. Always keep encouraging them to go a little further. Getting them to count past 10, then 12, then 20, or even to count past 109 is getting them to build on those previous counting skills.
This printable is free for classroom and personal use. Please contact me if you wish to use it for any other purpose. I am happy for you to pin and share as long as you are linking to this post and not the download file. Copyright Annaleis Topham – Teapots and Tractors 2013
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{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Brilliant ideas. I brought some great counting and alphabet posters from aldi this week as I have a 2 year old who is very keen to learn!!
Wish we had Aldi! Make sure you take every opportunity to to count in everyday life. They will pick up so much.
Those are some great tips Annaleis! My kids are all older now but reading was a very important part of their childhood. I read to them every night when they were little. I also did reading at the school when they were in Year 1. I remember we had lots of educational toys which I used to get through Learners World – helping with counting, matching pictures, alphabet etc. Learners World was a good excuse for their mum to get a bit of socialising in – as you got their products through party plan type set up. Are they still around? Min
I haven’t been to one in a while. But I think that they are. My eldest daughter received so fantastic puzzles from companies like that.
Great ideas! Another one that my boys like is counting backwards with the rockets we made. There’s always that big “Blast off!!!!” that sends them wild with excitement!
Kids love the rocket countdown dont they. Try starting at a higher number!
We do blastoffs too. So gorgeous. xx
My 5 yo has just started school and is very interested in counting and numbers. I think she’d really like that counting chart – thanks!
That is more than ok!
What great ideas!
xx
Thank you
Thanks Annaleis, you sure know what your talking about. I’m off to print out the chart now, Will is really interested visually but so interested verbally when it comes to learning.
Prue xx
It is great to be able to see the difference in your children and what type of learners they are. Hayden is very visual – but in practical terms – not so good at cartoons for example.
Great ideas Annaleis. Our little boy has just started counting madly. It’s so cute to hear him chatting to him self and then going one, two, fwee… Hope all’s well with you. xx
I’m great thanks Lee. How are you???? Don’t you love the way they all say three!
Awesome. I’m in need of a chart for the fridge along the theme of “my activities for today” so I can put my son’s activities on them so we can have a conversation with him before and after to help him with storytelling.
Yes to it all, and especially thumbs up to reading! Mine are 15 and 12 now, but even as babies who could only just sit up I would have them on my knee, reading to them. They had books they could chew and play with in the bath when they were too young to really read them, and books have made a big impact on their school work (how do you pass an assessment, even if it’s not English, if you cannot read the questions? As an former Teacher Aide who worked in Learning Support for five years I can say with difficulty!) Even now, despite us all being addicted to electronics in one form or another we all read. This was something my parents passed down to me, and I am so glad to have passed the sheer joy of books down to them too
It’s so important to read to your kids – No.1 has just started school and there is SOO much pressure on her to start recognising and reading – just 5 weeks into the term – a bit stressful and she’s not exactly a fast learner – I just have to be more patient I think
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