How to Teach Toddlers to Count

Toddlers have an amazing ability to pick up on most anything, including numbers. If you're preparing your toddler to attend preschool, you can give her a head start by teaching her the basics of counting and number recognition. Start out with small numbers and work your way up. Use manipulatives and visual aids to make the math lessons sink in.

Things You'll Need

  • Chalk
  • Masking tape
  • Plastic or cardboard numbers
  • Chalkboard
  • Blocks
  • Jar
  • Construction paper
  • Marker

Instructions

    • 1

      Get some chalk and number things outside your home. For instance, number cement panels on the sidewalk with your toddler. The rain washes the numbers away, but that just allows opportunities to number again later.

    • 2

      Put numbers on everything that is eye level for your toddler inside the home. Hang numbers on doors and other places that toddlers pass frequently. Use tape to hang shapes with numbers on them. First, take the piece of tape that you are going to use and stick it on the carpeting or your shirt or anything else that can dull out the sticky side of the tape. This is to avoid inadvertently taking paint off the walls while teaching math skills.

    • 3

      Place a chalkboard in the child's bedroom. Draw shapes and then put numbers on the inside of each shape. They may wipe efforts away daily, so plan on rewriting the shapes and numbers on the chalkboard often.

    • 4

      Avoid just having numbers randomly placed. While putting the numbers around your home, keep them in order as he walks around.

    • 5

      Put your toddler near a large jar or plastic container. Drop blocks inside, counting as you go. Then remove all the blocks and repeat. Allow your toddler to count by herself as she puts blocks in the jar once she gets the hang of it.

    • 6

      Sing the numbers. Count while you cook with a song. Toddlers might giggle and try to count in a tune with you. Count while taking jumbo-size steps from one room to the next, some toddlers make a train and try out the mini version of this silly way of learning.

    • 7

      Create dotted-line numbers on construction paper and have the child trace over them. Say the number with him as he draws.

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