Counting and counting activities for toddlers is a topic that many parents would love to find more information about. This article has been put together with the intention of giving you 15 simple activities that will keep your toddler entertained while also developing their counting skills. With these counting games, your toddler will be learning through play and developing their math skills at the same time!
Basic Numeracy Skills: How to develop them
Numeracy skills for toddlers is an important aspect that parents need to know about. Being able to answer counting questions will give your child the opportunity to become more comfortable with numbers and counting in general, which is an important step on the way to learning simple math concepts later on. So how can you help your toddler develop these numeracy skills?
Teach your child the counting sequence from one to ten
Simple counting activities, like counting from 1 to 10 until your child can memorise it, are important. Make sure to start with the basics and slowly build up counting activities for toddlers by introducing them to more challenging activities, like board games and math activities when they are ready!
Introduce the concept of numbers through counting objects and telling time
After they have familiarised counting from one to ten, you can start counting objects and telling time. Having counting activities for toddlers, such as counting eggs in a basket, and other household items, is an excellent way of introducing the concept of numbers as part of their everyday experiences.
Always give your toddlers an opportunity to count
Numbers can be found everywhere, like household items or other physical objects, and you can use that as an advantage to help your children practice counting. For example, if you just got home from grocery shopping, let them count how many apples you bought. It is a fun counting activity that will develop their counting skills naturally.
If you are interested not only in developing your child’s counting skills but also related skills that are essential for their brain and cognitive development, enrol them now at Okinja Early Learning Centre. Your child will be part of our growing family in a warm and safe environment.
Counting Milestones
0-12 Months
This is the first counting milestone. During this stage, they are still in the process of learning to count. They may be able to count one or two items, but this is still too early for them to do a variety of activities that are more complex than counting the number of fingers on their hands.
13-24 months
After reaching 12 months old, your toddler can now start counting things and understanding numbers a bit better. This is the time when counting activities for toddlers are introduced into their everyday activities. This is about counting how many apples you have, counting steps to get upstairs or counting the number of toys they own.
25-36 months
This stage will push your toddler’s counting skills even further and is a good time for you to integrate creative learning ideas. They may start recognising numbers when seeing them on objects and counting more complex things, such as slices of apple, counting flower petals, or even understand the concept of halves.
37-48 months
This is the time when counting becomes a fun activity for your toddler! They will be able to count even more items, understand basic math skills, like simple addition and subtraction, and count objects that are in a sequence.
15 Fun Counting Games for Toddlers
To help your toddler achieve these major milestones, you have to introduce them to counting games that will push their counting skills even further. Here are 15 counting activities for toddlers that will help their maths abilities at school.
1. Watch YouTube videos like 5 Little Monkeys
Nothing is more fun for a toddler than watching videos. Make that as a learning opportunity to introduce counting to them through simple videos. Let them watch a video of 5 Little Monkeys, or videos with a similar concept, and ask how many animals they can see or point out numbers you hear being said in the song.
2. Magnetic fishing game
If your toddler loves fishing, this game will be entertaining for them. You can get a magnetic fishing game toy for an affordable price and let your toddler play counting games with it by counting the number of fish they catch or how many fish are left on the stash. Kmart has one for $5.
3. Songs about numbers
A lot of resources are available on the internet and counting songs can be found among them. You can search the internet for ideas for counting songs for kids. If you are travelling, or even at home, play these songs and sing along with them.
4. Counting games with counting bears
Counting bears are educational toys for toddlers that will help your child learn different counting skills. These cute little stuffed animals can be used in counting activities for toddlers by making them count the number of eyes, arms and legs they have or even play a matching game where you need to match how many eyes each bear has.
5. Find counting objects in your house
This is a counting activity for toddlers that will help them develop counting skills through exploring their surroundings. Ask them to find as many counting objects they can see around the living room or kitchen and let them tell you what each object represents, such as how many cups we have, how many spoons are there, etc.
6. Go on a Numbers Hunt
What’s more entertaining for a child than hide-and-seek? But this time, make it more educational. Hide some numbers around your house and let your toddler find them. If they find a number, and they are able to tell what number it is, you will give them a reward. If you have more than one child, this is also a great bonding game for them.
7. Trace the Numbers
This is an activity that will enhance their counting and writing skills. Teach them how to hold a pen correctly, and help them write counting numbers. You can buy tracing cards with counting numbers for children or use regular paper and draw the number yourself, then ask your toddler to trace over it with a pen.
Here at Okinja ELC, we put an emphasis on play-based learning because we believe it is a foundation for educational growth and lifelong learning. Enrol your child today!
8. Count the characters in a story book
Toddlers love scanning through books with colourful illustrations and interesting character. If they have no interest in reading yet, make that an opportunity for children to focus on counting the characters in the book. They may not recognise what each character is right away, but they will learn to count and see numbers in a new way as the story progresses.
9. Count with Lego
Here’s a new way of playing with Lego. Let them count how many Lego bricks there are on the object they build and then let them build something. This sensory activity for toddlers will help their motor skills and counting skills develop at the same time regardless of their skill levels.
10. Count jumps
Kids love jumping so much and counting how many jumps they can do will certainly make them more excited. Ask them to count the number of times their feet touched the ground. And if you have more than one child, whoever has the highest number of jumps will be the winner of this counting game.
11. Count things outside on a walk
When you’re out on a walk with your toddler, let them count the number of trees they can see or how many cars pass by. You may be surprised to find out counting is easier than you think for toddlers and counting objects on walks will help their counting skills develop as well as improve their verbal communication skills.
12. Count the Stars
If you’re out camping, counting stars is a great counting activity for toddlers. Ask them how many they can see and give them some time to count themselves before letting them tell you what number of stars they counted. You can also introduce them to constellations like the Big Dipper and the Small Dipper.
13. Recognise shapes and count the sides
Shapes are a great example of counting. Show them how counting the sides of the shapes will help you recognise what the shape is, then ask your child to point out different shapes and count their sides for you.
14. Count stacking cups
This is a game perfect when you are on the beach. Let them stack cups filled with sand and count how many layers they have. Then, ask them to count how many cups are there in total and predict if the sand will spill over or not after counting all of them.
15. Play with counting blocks
Counting blocks are a great educational toy for teaching counting skills to toddlers, as well as geometry concepts like size comparison and spatial awareness at an early age. It also develops sensory processing abilities by making the child feel the blocks move rather than watching them be moved. Ask your toddler to count how many counting blocks you have and stack them up, then ask them to take a few away while telling you what number they have left with or which counting block they took out of the pile.
Enrol them now!
There you have the top counting activities for toddlers. They are fun and educational at the same time, so your kids will never get bored with counting. Introduce them to counting at an early age, so they will be prepared for maths once they start school.
Here at Okinja ELC, we build children’s foundation of learning and independence to help them become lifelong learners. What are you waiting for? Check our location here.
