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Erikson Institute Early Math Collaborative
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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.
EMTR051-1 number lines for school
Series: Focus on the Child

Using Number Paths with Child 9

March 4, 2013

A child counts forwards and backwards using a number line with hidden digits.

  • Topic: Counting
  • Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten
  • Tags Child 9
NEWS010-1 educational math games for kids
Series: Ideas at Work March 2, 2013

Down with Naked Numbers

All kinds of confusion can result when children are asked to rattle off the numbers from 1 to 10 or 20 or higher without actually counting something. In our learning labs and activities we are…

  • Topic: Counting
  • Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten
  • Tags Games, Subitizing
NEWS023-1 best preschool books
Series: Ideas at Work February 27, 2013

Numbers and Fun with Anno’s Counting Book

After reading Anno’s Counting Book, Nancy Beza at Waters Elementary encouraged her preschoolers to make a list of objects that could be found in a winter scene—snowflakes, trees, etc. Each student created an object from…

  • Topic: Counting
  • Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten
  • Tags Nature, Mitsumasa Anno, Anno’s Counting Book, Seasonal
NEWS011-2 math activities for prek
Series: Book Ideas February 25, 2013

The Math in Dots

Melinda Chum is one of many teachers who have found great ways to do math with Donald Crews’ wonderful picture book 10 Black Dots. Children love going through the pages, exploring how 2 black dots…

  • Topic: Counting
  • Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten
  • Tags Books, Numerosity, Donald Crews, Ten Black Dots, Press Here, Herve Tullet
Series: Hear from the Experts February 25, 2013

Myths of Early Mathematics (Part 1)

Jennifer McCray, director of Erikson's Early Math Collaborative, addresses some myths about early math. Counting is, in fact, complicated!

  • Topic: Number Sense, Counting
  • Age/Grade Level: Adult Learners, Pre-K
Series: Focus on the Child February 24, 2013

Learning the Counting Words with Child 4

A child counts as high as he can.

  • Topic: Counting
  • Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten
  • Tags Child 4
Series: Hear from the Experts February 18, 2013

Counting to 20: Joanne Mulligan on Structured Number Systems

Joanne Mulligan provides an example of a six-year-old's personal rules for counting to 20.

  • Topic: Counting
  • Age/Grade Level: Adult Learners, Kindergarten
  • Tags Joanne Mulligan
Series: Hear from the Experts February 18, 2013

Myths of Early Mathematics (Part 2)

Jennifer McCray, director of Erikson's Early Math Collaborative, continues her talk on some of the most common misconceptions about early math education.

  • Topic: Number Sense, Counting
  • Age/Grade Level: Adult Learners, Pre-K
Series: Hear from the Experts February 17, 2013

Myths of Early Mathematics (Part 3)

Jennifer McCray, director of Erikson's Early Math Collaborative, continues her talk on some of the major misunderstandings about what goes into teaching mathematics to young students. In this section, she focuses on how children gradually…

  • Topic: Number Sense, Counting
  • Age/Grade Level: Adult Learners, Pre-K
Series: Book Ideas February 15, 2013

What Kind of Counting Book Is It?

There’s nothing like a stack of attractive counting books to help young children explore number. However, it’s worth taking the time to analyze exactly how the numbers in the book are put to work, so…

  • Topic: Counting
  • Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st Grade
  • Tags Ten Black Dots, One is a Snail Ten is a Crab, One Duck Stuck, Phyllis Root, Books, April Pulley Sayre, Donald Crews, Animals
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