Can We Count Our Cats?
by Nina Orange
Illustrated by Jesse Breytenbach and JessePietersen
Before Talking
Talk with your child before they can talk or even understand the words. Point at, name, and describe things you see, such as shapes, colors, comparisons, and quantities. As your child begins to understand words, ask about a thing and have your child point at it. For example, “Where is the ball?” If your child can’t find the thing, point to it for them.
Early Talking
As your child begins to understand and say words, mix in simple questions. Freely help with answers as needed. If you point and say “Is this red?” and they don’t know, supply the answer. If you say “Count the blocks.” and your child does not know how, point and count the blocks with them “one, two, three.”
Math Themes and Words
This story looks at counting from 0 to 9, colors, and color patterns. Practice counting words, color words, words like: too many, biggest number, smallest number, one more, and one less.
Read, Talk, and Have Fun!
The supplied questions and comments are just the beginning.
For the 1st reading, read the red questions and comments.
For the 2nd reading, read the blue questions and comments.
For the 3rd reading, read the green questions and comments.
After that, follow your child’s interests and let your discussions go in fun directions.
How many cats?
0 Zero cats.
No cats here!
- 0 is an important number! It’s where all counting starts, even when we don’t say it.
- How many cats do you see?
- Count together the butterflies – they are tricky to find in this picture.
