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PSPKK1236 Comments

How to teach one to one correspondence

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Looking for some simple ways to help your preschooler master counting and one to one correspondence? You’re in the right place!

(This post contains affiliate links.)

We’re almost at the end of our Getting Ready for Kindergarten series! Let’s talk math – specifically, counting.

Sometimes we confuse counting by rote with one-to-one correspondence.

What’s the difference?

Let me give you an example.

My two-year-old loves to count, and we often hear her counting all the way to 12 – not because I’ve taught her (I haven’t!), but because she’s a little copycat. She has four older siblings and has heard them count so many times that she has the sequence memorized.

But if you give her a set of five objects, she will point to them and say, in her little sing-song voice, “one, two, fwee, foh, five, six, seven, eight!” Or, depending on the moment, “one, two, fwee, foh!” She knows how to recite her numbers. But, developmentally, she’s not ready to count sets of objects larger than two.

She counts by rote. She doesn’t use one-to-one correspondence.

5 Ways to teach one-to-one correspondence – before kindergarten

Around age three, many children are able to count small groups of objects accurately. But if your child isn’t – no worries! Try these five simple activities.

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  • Count a lot. Make a counting game out of everyday activities whenever you think of it. Count the chairs as you set the table, the blocks as you build a tower, the books as you read aloud, and the train cars as you chug along the track. Preschoolers love to count!

Little boy playing with a toy train

  • Count objects in a line. Toddlers and young preschoolers are easily confused when you ask them count a jumble of objects in a pile; they often count objects twice. Begin simply by putting a small number of objects in a line and asking your child to count them. Begin with just two or three objects; when your child consistently gets that number correct, add more.
  • Move the same objects around, and count again. Take the objects out of a line and scatter them.  Have your child count them. Then push them together in a very tight line. Ask your child to count once more. Eventually your child will understand that rearranging a group of objects does not change their total number.
  • Count motions. Have your child count as you clap or hop. If this is difficult, have your child set out one counter for each movement. He can count the counters after you are finished. Poker chips work great for this!

dot cards for counting

  • Match objects to dots. Print these free dot cards from Prekinders. Then have your count aloud as he places a manipulative (like these fun teddy bear counters) on each dot.

number book

Our printable number book is another fun way to match objects to dots. You can get it here.

fish bubble mats

Here’s one more fun freebie for teaching one-to-one correspondence! Get our fish bubble mats here.

gumball mats

Wait – just one more! Our gumball counting mats are another fun one. You can grab them here. We like to use these clear plastic counters.

We hope you enjoy these simple ways to practice counting!

And don’t forget to check out the rest of our Get Ready for Kindergarten series…

get ready for kindergarten

Free Math Printables for Pre-K-3rd Grade

Join our email list and get this sample pack of time-saving resources from our membership site! You'll get printables for counting, addition and subtraction, measuring, problem solving, and more!

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Filed Under: Counting, Math Tagged With: counting, preschool, Pre-K

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Reader Interactions

6 Comments

  1. Deborah

    August 8, 2016 at 12:06 am

    Setting the table is a good one to one activity. To start, you might put the plates on and have the child give each plate a fork and then a knife and a spoon, and then cup and napkin.

    Reply to this comment
    • Susan Hartsook

      August 10, 2016 at 4:45 pm

      I love this idea especially since it corresponds with benchmarks for my IND students who need to learn life skills. Keep sharing!

      Reply to this comment
      • Anna Geiger

        August 18, 2016 at 10:15 pm

        Thanks, Deborah – that’s another great one!

        Reply to this comment

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  1. Bear counter pattern strips for preschoolers - The Measured Mom says:
    September 19, 2020 at 11:12 am

    […]      […]

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  2. FREE Valentine's Day Ten Frame Math Counting Cards says:
    July 7, 2020 at 10:07 am

    […] your preschooler to find a matching numbers of items to the number on the card. For example, find seven crayons to match the seven […]

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  3. How to Teach Counting - This Reading Mama says:
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