“Counting is a foundation for students’ early work with number.  Young children are motivated to count everything from the treats they eat to the stairs they climb, and through their repeated experience with the counting process, they learn many fundamental number concepts…” (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000. Principles and Standards for School Mathematics).

Begin building his number foundation by helping him count the numbers 1 to 5.  If he likes being active when counting, even better!  The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics states that that moving, touching, or pointing to objects as he says the number words will establish one-to-one correspondence, and he may begin to notice that the next whole number in the counting sequence is one more than the number just named.

At home you can help your child count the toys as he puts them away, or have him count the buttons on his clothing.  He can count as he jumps, swings, or kicks a soccer ball.  For more quiet counting activities he can count the number of chairs while waiting at the doctor’s office or the number of people walking in a restaurant while you wait to be seated. 

Try to seize any opportunity that can turn into a fun counting activity for your child; these seemingly small experiences teach essential math skills.  And, since children are naturally inclined to count you and your child will come up with many more ideas!