Today is rung 7 of 9 on this topic
Counting things, one touch per number
Can do: Touches each object exactly once while saying one number, and knows the last number said is the answer.
Why it matters
Rote counting to twenty is a song. This is the skill underneath it — that numbers are attached to things — and everything in maths sits on it.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
The words run ahead of the finger, objects get counted twice, or they recount from one when you ask "so how many?"
⏱️ Two-minute check
Line up five spoons. "Count them." Then: "So how many are there?"
Solid looks like: Five touches, five words, and "five" when asked the total without starting again.
The full activity for this topic · 5 minutes
Count the Real Thing
- 1Choose something real and useful — the forks for dinner, the stairs to bed.
- 2Move each object as it's counted: push it, drop it in a cup, take a step. Moving prevents double-counting far better than pointing.
- 3Ask the total: "So how many altogether?"
- 4If they recount, say the total for them: "Five. The last number tells us how many."
- 5Stay under six for a fortnight before pushing to ten.
If it's too hard
Count three things, and count with them in one voice while guiding their hand.
If it's too easy
Give them a number and let them fetch that many: "Bring me four spoons." Making a set is harder than counting one.
Say this
"One touch, one number. The last number is how many we have."