The concept of numbers being associated with quantity can be a bit tricky for many children at first, but with a little bit of time, patience and fun, most children start to grasp them starting with smaller numbers like 1-5 or 0-10.
Once they’re able to count and make that connection, it opens up a whole new world for them. They start to see quantity everywhere. For instance, when they go to the supermarket, they may see 5 cakes or 3 oranges. Being able to quantify their observations in the real world can be an incredibly exciting time for young children.
Learning to work with numbers early on can help children develop their problem-solving skills, coordination, concentration, cognitive ability, and fine motor skills. It also allows them to have a better understanding of their world as they continue to develop their mathematical skills.
Math can be confusing for many children. Fortunately, there are a variety of ways to make it engaging for them so that can enjoy the learning process.
The following five steps will support your children in learning their numbers in a fun way.
Learning Numbers Intervention Steps:
#1. Recite It
There are different number songs on YouTube. Choose the one that catches your child’s attention and then let them enjoy listening to it until they’re singing along. Songs like, “One Two Buckle My Shoe,” can help children learn how to count. You can teach children to count down with songs like, “Five Little Monkeys.” Let your children groove to it until they can recite it by themselves.
#2. Count and Exercise
When you walk on the sidewalk or up the stairs, hold hands, count your steps out loud together. To make this more exciting, when you walk on the sidewalk, jump on the cracks together and count how many there are.
The more you count together, the more familiar your children will get with numbers.
#3.Count Everything
No matter where you go or what you do, count it. For example, are you having meatballs for dinner? How many are there on your plate? As you eat one, count how many are still left. When you go to the store, count how many grapes or oranges you bought. Count as many things as you can so that your kids can see it’s real life applicability.
#4. Recognize the Numbers
Take a marker and cue cards. Write the numbers on the cue cards. Hold up each number as you count different items from step #3. This will allow your children to pair the sound of the number to it’s symbol.
Ask your children get familiar with the numbers, mix them up and increase the speed to really develop their number recognition.
#5. Spot the Numbers
As you walk around your neighborhood, look around and spot as many numbers as you can. Look at what they’re related to so that you your children can see the relevance of learning numbers. For example, you might see $7.99 for a shirt. Your child may be able to point out 7. You can let them know that this is the price of the item. We have to pay just over seven dollars to buy that shirt.
Recap:
Let’s recap really quickly. Today, we looked at the following:
- The reasons why it’ important to start by teaching your children to recite and recognize numbers.
- How to teach 3 and 4 year old children to learn the numbers: recite it, count and exercise, count everything, recognize the numbers, and spot the numbers
Free Resources:
For a taste of the resources that were mentioned in step two, check out the following resource in my FREE Education Resource Library.
Teach your little ones how to make good choices with the following FREE Resource:
Next Steps:
If you found this video beneficial, would you do me a favor? Share this with your family, your friends, your loved ones, your co-workers or someone who you think could benefit from this. Thank you!
I’ll see you next Friday at 5:30pm PST.
Until I see you next time, remember to create, experience & teach from the heart.
Take care,
Charlotte
Disclaimer: I’m a teacher and a parent. I’m not a medical professional, so please don’t take this as medical advice. The advice that I provide in my videos and online are strategies that I have used in my own class or at home that have worked beautifully.
