Step 11: Counting up from 1 and 0
Count everything
Your child can already count to 5. You are now helping them to solidify that counting and as well as extend it to larger numbers. Count things in front of your child and also count with your child when your child wants to. Counting is the foundation of understanding quantities. It also builds a basis for addition and subtraction.
There are so many things to count. Count chairs, steps to go a short distance, food items, people in line, people in a group, furniture around a table or in a room, arms, legs, and who knows what else. Whenever you find yourself mentally counting something, count it with your child, and be sure to include 0 as a starting point sometimes.
Understanding quantities
It is completely intuitive for an adult that if you count a collection of things, say four pebbles, that when you count “1, 2, 3, 4,” the last number you say is the size of the quantity of things you have. Your child is learning several things. They are gaining an understanding of quantities. They are learning that when you count something you do a 1-to-1 correspondence between the things and the numbers. They are learning that it doesn’t matter in which order you count things. And finally they are learning the “last number is the size” rule. Adults take these things for granted, but it is a great deal for a child to learn. Be patient and remember that there is no rush.
Mistakes
There are many kinds of mistakes you should expect your child to make as they count. Your child may leave out numbers or they may leave out some of the numbers. Or they may get mixed up in doing 1-1 correspondence with a group of things they are counting. Your child will sort all this out with time. For now, when your child makes a mistake, simply count the things out in front of them correctly and move on to something else.
Understand the numbers
Don’t be in such a hurry for your child to repeat the numbers 1 to 10 that they have no idea what they are saying. Take time with it and reinforce the connection of each number with its corresponding quantity.
Reading numbers
You may of course start introducing reading the numbers whenever you like. However, don’t let the reading limit the counting. Learning to read numerals will typically take longer than learning to say the numbers and getting a sense of the quantities.