Attentive parents always worry about their child's education in advance. However, not every adult is knowledgeable enough about pedagogy to teach their child simple arithmetic without the help of a teacher and educators. Therefore, most parents and adults ask the question: How to teach a child to count to 10? To solve this important problem, we present on our website practical tasks that will benefit your preschooler in learning such a difficult phenomenon as counting from 1 to 10.
How do we learn to count to ten? With the intention of teaching your child to count from 1 to 10, we provide you with all kinds of techniques and materials. While your child is just beginning his joyful introduction to the mathematical world, we recommend you numbers in pictures from 1 to 10. You can download them without any effort from the Childdevelop website. Then, in addition to the pictures, other practical tasks may be useful to you. After all, in order to teach both preschoolers and schoolchildren, we have prepared universal examples. You can download them for free from our website in just a few clicks. Activities with mom will help you spend quality time for your child.
Principles of teaching children to count
It should be noted that some of the information presented may already be familiar to you from the section on teaching children to read and the first lessons on learning to count. But taking into account its importance and the need for application, we will allow ourselves to repeat ourselves in some ways.
To begin with, we note that depending on their age, children can perceive information differently:
- Up to 2 years. It’s too early to talk about mastering the basics of counting. You just need to prepare your baby for future activities by playing with counting sticks, telling counting rhymes, fingering, etc.
- 2 years. The child is already quite capable of perceiving ordinal counting. You can teach him to count objects one by one from 1 to 10, counting everything that comes into view.
- 3-4 years. The child begins to count, realizing the meaning of the process. It is useful to introduce him to the simplest mathematical calculations and grouping of objects.
- 4-5 years. The child develops mental arithmetic skills and develops the ability to understand abstract concepts.
Based on this, teaching children to count should be based on age characteristics. And the best period for mastering the basic rules of counting is the age of 3-4 years. The principles presented below will help you ease your child’s thorny path of learning to count:
- The basis for a child’s acquisition of new knowledge is that the information is age-appropriate, the lessons are systematic and engaging, as well as consistency.
- Before learning to count, you need to explain to your child the meaning of the concepts “less” and “more.” To do this, it is useful to draw his attention to surrounding objects, images in books, etc.
- When playing counting games with your child, use the concept of “equally” more often. You can ask to share cubes between family members, candy between other children in the yard, etc.
- The child must clearly understand what “add” means and what “subtract” means. The meaning of these concepts can be easily taught using counting sticks, toys, fruits, vegetables, candy, etc. It is important to convey to the child that when adding, the quantity increases, and when subtracting, it decreases.
- Be sure to explain to your child that changing the places of the terms does not change the sum.
- First of all, teach your baby to count to ten. Before moving on to more complex numbers, you need to introduce the baby to different options for addition and subtraction within the first ten. Only after this can we move on to second order numbers.
- Use a ruler in teaching. Counting to ten, move your baby's fingers centimeter by centimeter. Although simple, this technique will set the foundation for mental arithmetic in the future.
- Try to give your activities a playful form. Memorization and memorization are ineffective here; they can form a negative attitude towards learning in a young student.
- Do not teach your child to add and subtract on an abacus and do not overuse objects when counting. In the future, it may be difficult to teach a child to carry out mental operations without the use of visual materials.
These principles should become your basis. Failure to comply with them, of course, is not catastrophic, but if you want to prevent the occurrence of unwanted problems and difficulties, as well as avoid the most common mistakes, we advise you not to neglect them.
Now let's move on to the main part of our lesson - exercises to teach children to count. They are divided into three categories: counting to 10, counting to 20 and counting to 30.
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How to teach a child to count to 10
Greetings, dear readers! In this material we will talk about how to teach a child to count to 10 quickly and easily, using game techniques. After reading this article, you will be able to master basic math skills with your baby in a short time. Want to try? Then read on!
Preparing inventory
Children begin to learn counting at 2–3 years of age. By the age of 4, many children can already count to 10. When starting to master basic knowledge of mathematics, there is no need to arrange real school lessons for a three-year-old child. Conduct classes in a playful way, for which you will definitely need visual aids. What can you use to interest your baby?
- Cubes with numbers (soft or wooden);
- plastic numbers with magnets and a tablet for fastening;
- number lotto, puzzles;
- abacus;
- cards with objects and numbers drawn on them;
- counting sticks (they can be replaced with matches or popsicle sticks);
- educational cartoons, videos.
If you can’t buy bright toys, you can make manuals yourself. Do you have potatoes at home? Cut a thick circle of potato and cut out the number that your baby is currently learning. Fry the preparation and offer it to your baby for breakfast.
You can make numbers from any available materials:
- cardboard;
- colored paper;
- plasticine;
- cereals;
- shells;
- pebbles;
- twigs;
- beads, etc.
Count any objects and phenomena that you see while walking or on the street:
- steps;
- cars;
- trees;
- toys;
- people, etc.
Anything that surrounds you can be used as counting material.
Where to begin?
The sooner you introduce your baby to counting, the better. If a preschooler at 2 years old already speaks and thinks well, you can start. First, limit your knowledge to the first two numbers. Place one stick in front of the child and say: “One.” Then put the second one down and say, “Two.”
Once these concepts are understood, count to two everything you find in your environment. If the skill is fixed, move on to three, four, etc. Do not rush to introduce your child to writing numbers. Count orally. The baby must understand the practical application of counting skills.
On the way to mastering numbers up to 5, little rhymes and little rhymes can be of great help. By memorizing them, the child will quickly remember the order of the numbers. Play hide and seek, saying the well-known rhyme “I count to five...” The game will be both useful and interesting.
When the direct counting is mastered, we proceed to the reverse counting. Hang a picture of a rocket on the wall. Now imagine that it needs to be launched into space. Try counting back from five. Practice shows that the skill of counting backwards is learned rather slowly and requires maximum patience and attention from parents and children.
Strengthen the ability to count wherever you find a reason for this:
- at home during everyday activities;
- visiting;
- on a walk;
- in transport;
- on the way to kindergarten, etc.
Count forward and backward. Arrange game situations for your child in which simple mathematical skills are simply necessary:
- Draw a winding path. Divide it into cells. Throw the dice one at a time and use your chips to go through as many cells as there are dots on the dice. You can buy a ready-made game in a children's store. She is great at training counting skills within 6.
- Game "Shop". Place the toys on an imaginary counter, assign a price to each of them within 10. Cut out small rectangles from colored paper - this is money. If you have disused 1-kopeck coins stored, they are perfect for playing. Let the baby be the buyer. His task is to correctly count the number of coins or paper bills.
- Introducing to household duties. Invite your baby to wash or dry 3 cups and give the rest to mom. The child’s task is to count the required number of cups.
- Game "Messenger". Place cubes, construction sets, magnets and other toys in one room. Go to the next room. The kid plays the role of a messenger: he must bring from the next room as many items as he was asked.
Encourage any achievements and praise the baby. But do not turn praise into training when, after the correct answer, the child receives candy or permission to watch a cartoon. This way the child will get the idea that studying and gifts are directly related.
Learning numbers on paper
Only after the baby has learned to count to 10 verbally and mentally without errors can you introduce him to the graphic design of numbers.
When introducing your child to writing a number, show the corresponding card, play a video of a cartoon or children's TV show that talks about this number. Fashion a number out of plasticine, draw and color it, cut it out of colored paper, lay it out of matches, etc. The more visuals you use, the sooner you will get the result.
Offer your child the game “Guess!” For this you will need cubes or cards with numbers written on them. Show your baby the number and ask him to name it.
If your baby loves active games and doesn’t want to play with cubes or magnets, do something different. Hang a piece of paper on the door or wall with numbers written randomly. And now the most interesting part: invite your child to do a somersault (jump, throw a ball, etc.), and then name the number you show. So alternate physical and mental exercises. Changing actions perfectly trains not only memory, but also reaction.
Older children can be taught to write numbers. Use printed copybooks for these purposes. Invite your child to first write a large number, then gradually reduce the outline to the size of a cell in a school notebook.
Solving examples
After mastering counting, it’s time to learn how to solve examples. Let's start with something simple: introduce the baby to the plus sign and add: 1 + 1 = 2. For clarity, use counting sticks, matches, or any identical objects.
When this simplest example is mastered, we add one to two and get three. We continue this way until we reach 10. To reinforce addition, repeat the studied examples regularly, orally and in writing. When your child answers your question, how much is, for example, 5 + 1, and begins to answer correctly without hesitation, proceed to the next stage.
Add first 2, then 3, etc. to all numbers up to 10. When addition within 10 is completely mastered, give your child examples randomly, without being tied to a specific addend.
Important! Do not let your baby count on his fingers, use a ruler or other improvised means. Solving examples of addition and subtraction within 10 is the basis of all mathematical operations. The parents’ task is to ensure that the child knows the answers to the examples by heart.
Learn subtraction in the same way as addition. After successfully consolidating the acquired knowledge, you can vary the complexity of the examples: give them in the form of an equation with one unknown (instead of X or Y, used in high school, draw a square, a house or any other image in place of the missing number).
What do you need to remember?
When studying numbers with your child, follow the rules of learning:
- One lesson should last no more than 10 minutes, so as not to bore the baby or tire him. Do 3 of these “lessons” throughout the day.
- Revisit the material you've studied periodically, but don't do it every day.
- Don't scold your child if he doesn't succeed. Calculate the difficulty of tasks correctly.
- Reinforce the material in everyday life so that the child sees its practical application.
And most importantly: psychologists believe that in the learning process a child goes through three stages:
- gets used to terms and designations;
- understands the essence of what is being presented;
- remembers.
Take your time to achieve results! Practice more, and at some point your little one will successfully count to 10!
If you know other successful methods for teaching children to count, share them in the comments. See you again!
Teaching a child to count to 10
Teaching a child to count to 10 is the easiest way. To do this, you just need to play a few games with him at home and spend your time productively:
- First, teach your baby the basics of finger counting by introducing him to numbers from “1” to “5”. But keep in mind that it is much easier to teach counting on fingers than to wean from it. Due to parental inattention, even many fifth-graders often continue to count using their fingers. And this, in turn, has a negative impact on further development.
- Look for or draw pictures yourself that show from one to five objects. But don’t show the numbers themselves to your child yet, because... he may get confused. Remember that using pictures is most effective before the age of three.
- Arrange to watch educational TV shows and cartoons together. However, if desired, training materials can be found on the Internet.
- Use an abacus to study from time to time. In children's goods stores today you can find many variations of them in a variety of designs (don't forget that you don't need to teach them to count).
- Read counting rhymes to your child, where counting is used, numbers and other elements of mathematics appear.
- In your free time, count everything that surrounds you at home, on the street, in a store, etc.
- Having studied the first five numbers, move on to study the next five.
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We count while playing
Here are materials for activities with children that will help them remember counting from 1 to 10. On the assignment forms, the child will see what the numbers look like, what objects resemble the shape of the number 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. The child will also need to trace the contours of each number (this helps to better remember the visual image of the number). We count while playing so that the activities are interesting to the child! To teach counting, you can also play an educational game for kids “Counting from 1 to 10.” And in the presentation section you can show your child slides on the topic “Numbers and numbers from 0 to 10 and from 0 to 20.” And to reinforce the material covered, you can turn on child the game “Find the numbers from 1 to 10” - here the child must find all these numbers in the picture.
Digit 1
Meet the number 1. Try to write it. Note to parents: Ask your child what other objects resemble the shape of the number one.
Digit 2
Today you and I will go through number 2. Note for parents: ask your child which objects (parts of a person’s body) are always paired (for example, boots, gloves, skis, earrings, etc.)
Digit 3
Today we are going through number 3. Count how many birds are in the picture, how many fish are in the aquarium. Note to parents: Ask your child to think of fairy tales that include the number three in the title, such as “The Three Little Pigs.”
Digit 4
Today we are passing number four. Look around the room you are sitting in. What are the four objects in it? Additional questions: - Name the four seasons.
Number 5
And here is the number 5. What is the best grade in school? Right! Of course, five. How many fingers are there on one hand? And on one leg?
Number 6
This is the number 6. What does it look like? Today at six o'clock in the evening five friends will come to visit you. Say their names. How many people (together with you) will drink tea?
Number 7
Today we will go through the number 7. What seven colors of the rainbow do you know? What seven days of the week do you know?
Number 8
Today we will go through the number 8. Name objects that are shaped like this number. Count how many ducks are in the picture? How many of them are looking back, how many are looking forward, and how many have their heads under water?
Number 9
Today we are going through the number 9. Remember the numbers that we have already gone through, and think which one, if turned over, will look like the number nine?
Learning to count to 20
After your child has mastered finger counting up to five and ten and the numbers of the first number series (be sure to make sure that the material has been mastered well and the child does not confuse the sequence), you can safely begin to learn counting up to 20. This is also done quite easily - using this method:
- First, you need to explain to your child that the numbers after the first nine contain two digits. Explain that the first digits in these numbers stand for tens, and the second for units.
- Prepare two small boxes or some other containers, as well as a couple of dozen items, preferably identical ones. Place 12, 13, or 14 items in the first box, and 1, 2, or 3 items in the second box. This is necessary so that the child can clearly see the difference.
- The next step is to tell your child that numbers always come in the same sequence, i.e. after “10” comes “11”, then “12”, then “13”, etc.
- When you see that the young mathematician has mastered the basics of counting to 20 and does not confuse the sequence of numbers, start giving him small tasks to consolidate the skill. For example, ask your child to give you 14 buttons, 12 berries, 15 coins, etc.
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Learning to count to 100
It is best to learn to count to a hundred in early preschool age - between 4 and 6 years old. Everything here is not much more complicated than at the previous stage:
- Initially, tell your child that there are numbers “30”, “40”, “50”, “60”, etc. to “100”, and also that there are ten tens in total. Don't forget to mention that between all the tens there are specific ones, and provide your narrative with simple examples.
- Take one day to study each ten, completing tasks similar to those for learning to count to 20. In the evening of each day, spend 15-20 minutes repeating the material. For clarity, you can first use household items or toys. If you notice that your child is not absorbing some information very well, return to the beginning of the current topic.
- Use didactic materials and educational games as auxiliary methods. Write down sequences of numbers and give your child the task of looking for missing or specific numbers named by you.
- Praise your child as often as possible. Avoid negative evaluative phrases, for example, “You can’t do it,” “You didn’t complete the task,” “You don’t understand well,” etc. Never compare your child with other children. Try your best to keep him motivated and positive.
Using these simple methods, you can quickly and easily teach your child to count to one hundred. But in parallel with this, you need to begin to master mathematical operations, for starters - addition and subtraction (not simple numbers, but two-digit ones). To do this, we advise you to teach your child to count with a column.
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Subtraction within 10
The main thing in subtraction is the introduction of two variables: how much was and how much became. The child must understand these changes; they should not remain abstract for him. Therefore, explanations should always be based on examples.
The boy was given 7 cookies on a plate. He left it on the table and went out to get some juice. The boy returns to the table with him and sees that there are only two cookies left on the plate.
-Who ate my cookies? - asked the boy. “I ate it,” says the sister. - But only three. How many cookies did the boy get then? Who ate more?
Learning to count with a column
You should start learning to count in columns by making sure that the little person has a good understanding of counting up to 100 and understands tens. If everything is fine, explain how single-digit and multi-digit numbers are formed and show how they are written. After this, convey to the child’s consciousness that operations with numbers are carried out bitwise, i.e. They work separately with units and tens when counting in columns.
If you add numbers that add up to more than ten, your child may initially have misunderstandings. For example, you need to add “14” and “18”. So, adding “4” and “8” and getting “12”, you need to write down the second digit, and keep the first one in mind, so that you can then add it with the sum of the first column of numbers. Those. “1” + “1” “2” + “1” (the unit that was in the mind) “3”. As a result, in the first column we get “3”, and in the second “2”, which means “32”. If suddenly your child has difficulty keeping one number in his mind, make the task easier for him by writing it above the first column. As you master the method, it is better to eliminate auxiliary techniques.
In fact, a child should not have any problems mastering the ability to count with a column. But you always need to be patient, and if necessary, explain the same thing several times as clearly as possible. And here it would be appropriate to mention the three main rules for teaching children to count.
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Mathematical pyramid
How to solve a math pyramid: It can be classified as a type of children's sudoku. The challenge is to solve a mathematical pyramid by addition. An answer sheet is included for a quick test of the complex three-tier pyramid!