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Math Strands

Types

for

Audience

Special Topics

Counting

Counting is a part of young children’s daily life. They love to count everything from the stairs they climb to the crackers they eat. But what is counting? What is there to be understood about it? What do most children know about counting? What more is there to be learned? Counting seems very simple; but it is really quite complex. By developing a sophisticated sense of what it is and what kind of counting we ought to emphasize in teaching, parents and teachers can better assist children with the development of those skills and mathematical thinking related to it.

© Erikson Institute’s Early Math Collaborative. Reprinted from Big Ideas of Early Mathematics: What Teachers of Young Children Need to Know (2014), Pearson Education.

There are a number of Big Ideas in counting that are foundational in early learning environments:

  • Counting has rules that apply to any collection.
  • Counting can be used to find out “how many” is in a collection.
Series: Book Ideas

Count on Feasting: Delectable Holiday Math Activities

September 26, 2017

The holidays are coming up, and usually that involves a lot of eating. This provides plenty of opportunities to find math all around us.

  • Topic: Precursor Concepts, Counting, Number Operations
  • Age/Grade Level: Infants, Toddlers, Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st Grade
  • Tags Holiday, Gary Soto, Cathryn Falwell, Too Many Tamales, Feast for 10, Seasonal, Mary Ann Hoberman, Food, One of Each
Series: Focus on Play July 25, 2017

A Race to Ten, Both Fun and Mathematical

Creating grid games from classroom materials can be a great opportunity for fun and mathematical discussions involving small sets.

  • Topic: Number Sense, Counting
  • Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten
  • Tags Games, Subitizing
Series: Focus on Play July 25, 2017

A Grid Game: The Math in Ten

Grid games can be some of the earliest experiences children have with board games. And they can be both fun and mathematical.

  • Topic: Number Sense, Counting
  • Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten
  • Tags Subitizing, Games
The Doorbell Rang Pat Hutchins
Series: Book Ideas June 27, 2017

Rules of Counting with Fingerplays and Books

Children need experiences and practice counting in different, flexible ways while learning the rules of counting. These books and the right questions can help.

  • Topic: Counting
  • Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st Grade
  • Tags Books, Pat Hutchins, Animals, Eileen Christelow, Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, The Doorbell Rang, Food
Series: Book Ideas June 7, 2017

Enjoy Counting Activities and Math Fun with a Traditional Mexican Festival

In Count Me In! by Cynthia Weill we follow a procession of Mexican folk culture while exploring counting and math concepts.

  • Topic: Counting
  • Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st Grade
  • Tags Cynthia Weill, Count Me In!, Culture, Cuenta Conmigo, English Language Learner
Series: Focus on the Lesson September 26, 2016

Attendance Routine to Build Number Sense

This Spanish-language example of a rekenrek attendance routine demonstrates how one teacher can mathematize an everyday activity.

  • Topic: Number Sense, Counting
  • Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten
  • Tags Rekenrek, English Language Learner
Series: Hear from the Experts April 19, 2016

Research Finds That Using Fingers to Count Can be Important

Outlined in this The Atlantic article is growing evidence that using fingers to count is an important part of a child's development of number concepts.

  • Topic: Counting
  • Age/Grade Level: Infants, Toddlers, Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st Grade
learning-through-movement
Series: Focus on the Lesson February 1, 2016

Movement Counts

Students roll a die and mimic animal movements to connect counting words, visual number arrangements, and actions.

  • Topic: Counting
  • Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten
  • Tags Animals, English Language Learner, Play, Books
primary math activities 636x363
Series: Ideas at Work January 13, 2016

Ideas for Counting During Primary Math Activities

Counting is a complex task that is often taken for granted. As described in the Collaborative's book Big Ideas in Early Mathematics, there are two different types: rote counting and rational counting. While both are…

  • Topic: Counting
  • Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st Grade
number path
Series: Focus on the Child August 13, 2015

Using Number Paths with Child 7

A student counts backwards and forwards on a number line with hidden digits.

  • Topic: Counting
  • Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten
  • Tags Child 7, English Language Learner
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