Teach preschoolers to count to ten with these fun counting mats!
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Now that she knows her alphabet (see our letter of the week series), it’s time to focus on basic counting with my Three. This is the second post in a six-week series. Each week I’ll share a simple activity with a printable to help our youngest learners count to ten.
My Three can count past ten by rote, but she can only count objects up to three. My goal for this activity was to help her with her one-to-one-correspondence past the number three.
We’re also working on cardinality – the idea that the last number you say is the total number of objects.
I created these “counting finger” counting cards because she loves to hold up her fingers to show how old she is. I love how she held up the matching number of fingers as she placed a penny on each dot!
I encouraged her to count aloud as she placed the pennies.
She can count 1, 2, or 3 objects automatically without actually counting the objects. But when I asked her how many fingers were on the higher numbers, she didn’t know.
I showed her how to count each finger one by one. She tends to count quickly and end up with an incorrect number, so I slowed her down and counted with her.
We also worked at counting the pennies in order from left to right instead of placing them in a haphazard way.
She really enjoyed this simple counting activity. I hope your learners can use it too!
See ALL the printables in our counting series!
Get your free counting mats!
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Jayshree Chetty
Hi Thank you so much for all the free printables. I really appreciate it and all your wonderful ideas. I teach in a preschool in India in a village called Vrndavan, where resources are so very limited. It is called Krsna Balaram community daycare. We have a Facebook page also and It is run by a lady from America and funded by donations and it such a treat to see all your awesome free printables that I’m ever so grateful. God bless you to continue with this great service that you are doing and all the time invested in doing so.
Anna G
Thank you so much for your kind words, Kayshree, and for the work you do for your preschoolers! I am so blessed to do what I do.
Haasi
it’s very helpful activities to teach my special students. thank u so much
Anna Geiger
You’re welcome, Haasi!
Tammy
Your ideas are awesome! Thanks for sharing!
Anna Geiger
You’re very welcome, Tammy!
Vangie
wow! this is great I can use this on my next topic next week 9 in my school as of now am preparing my Lesson plan the topic is Big and Small. thank you very much!
Anna Geiger
You’re very welcome, Vangie!
Jen
Hi Anna,
These are great and I can use them, but have you thought about making mats with the numbers 1-10 in Sign Language? I am an ECE SPED teacher and I sometimes have hearing impaired students who are learning the signs in ASL for the numbers and the typical 1-10 for hearing children isn’t the same. Just a thought! Thanks for these 🙂
Anna G
I don’t have plans to make resources using sign language, but I will file that idea away if I find time for it. Thanks, Jen!
Deb
I was thinking the same thing!
Helen
Awesome Idea! Thank you! Glad your vacation to Virginia was nice! If you haven’t, been before, try Massanuten Resort in Virginia. They have tons of family fun!
Anna Geiger
Thank you, Helen! We will have to look into that the next time we go East.
Sudha
Hi great idea.
I M so happy to feel myself proud. I M a special educator. I always introduce numbers 5 plus 1 ways to my childrens. I don’t know if it is right or wrong but it works to learn further concept easily. Now I confirm my way is right. Then I work some more confident.
Thank you so much for once again.
Anna Geiger
You’re welcome, Sudha!
Sadaf
Thanks you so much. I love your ideas. They are awesome
Anna Geiger
You’re very welcome, Sadaf!
Kamanie
This is awesome. Love it! thanks Anita!
Anna G
Thanks for reading, Kamanie!
Yamini
Nice way to teach them. My 5 yrs old baby get confused with spelling of 13 and 30/ 14 and 40. Plz help me to make her understand.
Anna Geiger
I would first work more on helping her understand what the numbers mean rather than focusing on how to write them. She needs to understand that 13 is one ten and 3 ones, and that 30 is 3 groups of tens. You can work on this with a place value mat. https://www.themeasuredmom.com/free-place-value/