The One with Counting Acorns

Our story is simple.  I am a former teacher, having taught 1st, 4th, & 5th grades as well as a 3 year old Pre-K.  At home, I haven' t put forth the effort in the past that I have in the classroom because, well, my kids were in a classroom.  I got to rely on their teachers and that made me their educational support person at home when needed.  Now, I am home with our Kindergartener because of Covid-19.  I have 5 kids, 3 in school and 2 at home, only one I am responsible for.  Next year, it will be 2 when sister is ready for kindergarten.  For now, she is at a Montessori school learning some amazing readiness skills for Pre-K, just like brother did.  I get to be home with him and I get to teach the way I wish I could have always taught.  

How Do I Teach My Child to Count?

As a homeschool parent or a parent looking to offer counting help for your child, you may asking yourself the simple question of "how".  Here are a few "how to" tips to get your started.  We are going to work actual counting here, not just reciting the numbers.  Reciting is important but we are moving into visual quantities of objects.

• Find some objects to count.  (We are using acorns). Anything will do from fruit loops to buttons.
• Model touch counting individual objects for your child, like a game.  Touch counting each item and they aren't allowed to touch the next object until they scythe next number.  
• You can take turns saying the number each time the object is touched that way the understand the concept of counting quantities.  
• Remind them when counting that there is a total number of objects (ie. if they touch 5 items, discuss the total number)
• You can also count sounds by clapping to enhance the experience.
• Recognizing numbers or numerals is a completely different skill.

What age should my child learn to count?

Between the ages of 2 and 4 your child will begin to understand the meaning or concept of counting numbers.  Start by counting objects with your child up to 5, and then up to 10.  This again is reciting the numbers as well as counting objects or sound.  Even when my babies were little I would count their buttons or snaps as I dressed them just so they were used to the sound and rhythm of counting 

Lots of things are happening with this acorn activity.  

• The child is touching nature and organic material and that creates a strong bond in the brain to the skills being learned.  
  
• He is touch counting the acorns, he is looking at the visual number on the acorns, he is touch counting the numerical numbers, and
  
• he is matching the numbers to the ones written on the acorns.  
  
• The board is written so that he can see the one being added to the numbers 11-19.

How do the children learn to count?

 Counting up and counting down with rhythm and rhyme is a great start to counting.   Sounds like "5 Little Monkey's Jumping on the Bed" are great resources for counting.  There are  7 stages of counting which I will discuss below.  In the mean time work on counting up and counting down, starting withe counting up to 10 and down from 10 to 1.  A few of my favorite counting songs are.

• Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
• 10 Little Indians
• 10 Green Bottles
• There Were 10 in the Bed and the Little One Said (Roll Over)

What age should a child be able to count to 20?

Most children can count to 20 by age 4.  However, some children can not grasp the concept so quickly because they are such tactile, hands on learners when they are little.  So, sometimes it can take up to age 5 or 6 before the counting concepts and skills are looked into place.  How you approach counting at home can make a difference.  Usually, by age 3 they become interested in counting and ready to learn.

What are the stages of counting?

It's important to remember that counting and the concept of counting comes in stages.  It's difficult to skill ahead without first mastering the previous stage.

1. Counting up to 10
2. Counting down from 10 to 1
3. Counting objects or touch counting
4. Understanding and responding to numbers when spoken between 1-10
5. Being able to say random numbers when shown the numerical or figure.
6. Number word sense.  Recognizing the numbers when written out as words.  
7. Being able to write numbers.

What is a counting strategy?

One strategy for counting is a mental math is a strategy for addition and is called "counting on".  It simply means you start with the biggest number and then count up from there.  This will require your child to recognize small groupings, say the number of the group and then keep going.

What is the importance of counting?

Counting is what we bas all other number concepts on.  The difference between rote counting as a procedure and applying counting as a skills is simply having a variety of meaningful situations.