Lessons in Number Recognition

Teaching Children an Essential Pre-Math and Pre-Counting Skill

Jul 2, 2009

Being able to identify numbers is a skill most children master between age 2 and 5. Parents and preschool teachers can help with these fun number games and activities.

Educational materials often focus on letter recognition, but what about numbers? Before a child can really learn to count objects, he or she needs to be able to identify the numbers. This can be difficult to learn, but parents, daycare providers, and preschool teachers can reinforce number recognition in many ways.

Counting Encourages Number Recognition

The way most toddlers and preschoolers learn numbers is by counting. At first they won't understand what the numbers are, but learning to count in sequence from one to ten helps them get familiar with the names of the numbers and lays the foundation for number recognition.

Counting Games to Play

Playing counting games whenever possible equips kids with important pre-math skills. Count pushes on the swing, apples in the fridge, fingers and toes, and buttons on a shirt. Some other fun and simple counting games are:

Playing Store Builds Number Recognition

It's essential that all toddlers and preschooler have a play cash register and pretend money. Playing store gives them the opportunity to build all kinds of skills, including number recognition. Talk about the numbers on the bills while exchanging them, and encourage kids to name prices of items in the store and count out change.

Helping in the Kitchen Encourages Number Awareness

Toddlers and preschoolers love to help, and cooking with a parent teaches math and pre-math concepts like number recognition. Children can heat up food in the microwave, for example - but instead of pointing out the buttons to push, parents should say the name of each number and wait while the child tries to identify it. Instead of always using round numbers like 5 minutes, try an odd number like 4 minutes and 57 seconds to give kids more practice.

Turn Everyday Trips Into Number Teaching Opportunities

Numbers are everywhere, and parents can help their children to recognize them everywhere they go. Toddlers can identify and push the correct number on the elevator, help dial a few digits of a phone number, or help parents read the price of items at the grocery store.

This active number recognition game can be played outside with sidewalk chalk or indoors with masking tape. Draw numbers on the floor, spaced out from each other. Direct the toddler to run to the 1, hop to the 2, dance on the 3, roll to the 4, and so on. Continue playing until the child tires of the game.

Surround Toddlers With Number Toys

Make sure that toddlers and preschoolers have lots of exposure to numbers in their own bedrooms and toy boxes. Make sure they have plenty of toys featuring numbers like phones, floor mats, blocks, or magnetic numbers. As they play, occasionally point out a number and encourage children to name it.

Combine Educational Materials With Parental Interaction

Leap Frog's Math Circus, Baby Einstein's Number Nursery, and Sesame Street are some of the many educational DVDs and television shows promoting number recognition skills. Public libraries are a great source of picture books that introduce kids to numbers and counting. The key is sitting down together to watch or read. When used in combination with parental interaction, educational materials can be a great learning tool.

Be Positive and Follow the Child's Lead

Stay positive and don't get discouraged or frustrated if children seem resistant to learn about numbers. When they are ready, they will learn. In the meantime, make sure to praise every attempt kids make to identify numbers. Remember that it's very difficult for toddlers and preschoolers to make sense of numbers for the first time.

Parents don't have to work very hard to get their toddler or preschooler exposed to numbers. Numbers are everywhere. They only need to make kids aware of their surroundings and provide opportunities for them to practice number recognition skills to get ready for counting and math later on.

The copyright of the article Lessons in Number Recognition in School Readiness is owned by Jenny Evans. Permission to republish Lessons in Number Recognition in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.