Counting with Kindergarteners!

As easy as 1-2-3?

What do you think is the first step in learning mathematics? Many people say, “Learning to count.”  They aren’t wrong, but learning to count is complicated! Teachers describe the skills embedded in “counting” as the number core. The number core has 4 components. These skills are practiced in kindergarten. They are then expanded on and perfected in Grade 1.

Number core skills are very important. Happily, the are also easy for parents to start practicing at home with their little ones! We have shared the 4 number core skills that our youngest students are taught. They are numbered in the order that they are typically learned (most basic to most advanced). We have added "how to help" notes for parents and teachers in italics, explaining how to help teach each skill.

Counting is a major part of early math learning. By learning about number core skills, parents can help their children acquire basic counting skills.

4 components of Number Core skills

1.      Rote counting. 

What it is: This refers to knowing the number words in order. There may be no meaning attached to the words.

How to Help:  Count everything! Start by counting to 5. When those words are familiar, count to 10, 15 or 20. Continue to expand the count. Count backwards, too! Your goal is to make the words in their order familiar to your learner. Kindergarten teachers hope their students enter Grade 1 rote counting to 120. Toddlers can start practicing around age 1.*

2.     One-to-one association. 

What it is: When counting a group of objects, each object is associated with one number.

How to Help: Set items in front of your learner. Touch each item, one-by-one, as you count them. You can slide the counted items away from the uncounted items. Start with groups of 3 – 5 items. Expand the size of the group as your learner progresses. This can be practiced with 3- and 4-year-olds.*

We all have lots of items in our homes that we can use to help our children learn counting. These two apples would work perfectly!

3.     Cardinality. 

What it is: When counting a group of objects, the last number said tells how many objects there are in the group.

How to Help: Expand on the activity explained above. When all items are counted, ask, “How many items did we count?” I like to say, “We will count to tell how many.” This implies that there are two questions: counting using one-to-one association, and then answering the question of “How many ?”. This can also be practiced with 3- and 4-year olds. I don’t expect too many correct answers until the child is 4 years old or so.*  

4.     Numeral writing. 

What it is: This skill is threefold: 

a.     Although we don’t expect perfection, kindergarteners should practice drawing the numerals (0 – 9).

How to Help: Encourage your learner to practice drawing the 10 digits (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9). Although we don’t expect perfection, try to encourage holding the pencil correctly and the correct formation of the letters.  For example, 1 is drawn from the top down. 8 is drawn as a curly que. 3- and 4-year-old children can practice copying or tracing numbers.*

b.     When shown a number, students can identify it by name, or when asked they can find a specific number.

How to Help: Ask your learner to name numbers written in your environment. You can go on a “number hunt.” For example, you can have your learner look for twos as you do afternoon errands around town. This takes practice but 3- and 4-year-olds can be successful finding numbers in the environment.*

c.     When asked, students can draw a specific number.

How to Help: Another activity, a bit harder, is to ask students to write numerals as you call them out. This is a more difficult skill. I wouldn’t expect too much success with this until the child is about 4.*

*NOTE:  Mastering the skills in the age ranges I’ve suggested depends on the amount of time the skill is practiced. Don’t worry! By the end of Grade 1 learners will have mastered the number core.

As you draw together, consider writing out numbers so your child sees how you do it.

Learn more in We Didn't Learn Math This Way!

To help parents and tachers better understand number core and other important K-5 topics we wrote a book! It's called We Didn’t Learn Math This Way: a K – 5 guide for the Confused Adult, available HERE. In this amazing resource, you will find detailed explanations of the number core and the manipulatives kindergarten teachers use to practice these skills, including:

• Rekenrek

• 5-frame cards

• 10-frame cards

• 5-group cards

• 10-group cards

• place value cards (AKA hide zero cards). 
  

These tools and more are all covered in our chapter titled, Manipulatives.

Learning how to count in kindergarten is just the beginning of your child's math journey! For more in depth explanations of what you and your children will be encountering over the next few years, CLICK HERE. We Didn't Learn Math This Way! A K-5 Guide for the Confused Adult is an essential math resource for parents and teachers both in the classroom and homeschool environments. It includes a thorough review of the most important and confusing math topics in elementary school classrooms today.