Learning Numbers 1-10

What You Need:

• 10 counters (we used candy so the kids could look forward to a sweet treat)

What You Do:

1. Give your child three counters.
2. Instruct them to move their counters into different positions and have them describe their locations.
3. Have them create a pattern with the candies and then reorder them in a different way.
4. After your child becomes familiar with this set of three candies, encourage them to count to three out loud.
5. Repeat this activity with the numbers four and five at a later time. As you introduce them to each new number, explain that they are arriving at the new number by adding one to the previous number they were learning about. For example, when you introduce four you could say, "The last number we talked about is the number three. When you add one to three you have the number four."
6. Introduce zero only after numbers one through ten. Emphasize to your child that having "zero candies" is different than simply not having any candy. 

Keep practicing counting with any objects you can find! Encourage your learner to count books, blocks, stuffed animals, basically anything they want! Changing the types of counters is a great way to reinforce the concepts while keeping the activity fun and helping them get all the practice they need.