Counting and reading numbers on sight are such vital skills for our little ones. They are the basics which can set them up well for the start of their school life and beyond.
Spotting numbers on the street, playing with physical numbers and playing counting games are just three ways in which you can help your child learn to recognise their numbers before they’ve even started school.
Don’t wipe your screen! The dots in the sky of the photo above aren’t dirt – they’re crows getting ready to roost in the trees. This is one of the ways in which our daughter practised her number recognition without even realising. I’ll write more about this later on.
What is Number Recognition?
Number recognition is a skill where a person can understand which number is written in numerical form in front of them, e.g. 3. One part of which is understanding that the number 3 means three objects.
Why Should I Teach My Preschooler Number Recognition?
Number recognition is a core skill in mathematics. It is fundamental to a child’s mathematical learning and will set them up for life. It leads to understanding basic calculations, understanding dates, telling the time and so many more important life skills.
How Can I Make Learning Numbers Fun For My Preschooler?
The key here is making this learning fun. Three and four-year-olds don’t usually have long attention spans and so sitting them down to do work in a formal setting isn’t (in my opinion) the best way to get their number recognition learning embedded. I would suggest playing games and providing activities for the children to play and learn at the same time.
Here, I have compiled a list of ideas to teach number recognition so your child doesn’t even realise they’re learning.
1. Spot numbers on the street.
My 3-year-old loved shouting out, “Ten!” whenever we saw a speed sign on a recent holiday at a caravan park. She was so pleased with herself and tried to spot 10s elsewhere as well. You could also play games where you say you can see a 3 and see whether they can spot one on the street. It could be on a car number plate, a road sign, in a shop window, anywhere outside. You could even play number bingo and have a sheet with numbers on which they tick off (or scribble on!) when they’ve spotted them.
2. Create a sensory bin with magnetic numbers in.
Play a fishing game catching the numbers. You could also make paper fish with numbers on, place a metal paperclip on the fish and then use a magnet on some string to fish them out.
We have this game which my now four-year-old has loved since she was three. You could use the fish and fishing rod from this in a sensory bin.
Your sensory bin can be filled with coloured rice or shredded paper for example.
3. Play counting games such as Uno.
Uno is great for getting your little one to see numbers while doing something else like playing the game. The pictures of the animals match with the numbers on these cards and because of this, it’s not vital that they know their numbers yet to be able to play the game.
Side note: We took most of the wild cards out of Uno when we first got it and as our daughter has become more confident at it, we’ve started to add them back in one-by-one.
Here is a selection of other great number learning games:
4. Foam Numbers in Water
Have foam numbers floating in a bowl or tray of water. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, your child should pick a number out and match it with it’s corresponding number on a sheet or a post-it.
5. Playdough Numbers
Mix number cookie cutters in with any playdough activity you do and let them play with it how they wish.
6. Cookie Decorating
Make sugar cookies using number cookie cutters. Then, decorate with icing and sprinkles. Talk about the numbers you have used as you go.
7. Have Numbers Up Around Your House
This could be in poster-form or as post-its or labels dotted around the house. It is so your child starts to recognise that numbers have a job and they mean something.
We had a 100 square up in our dining room/playroom and our daughter often goes to it and tries to say the numbers she can see. All of this without me asking her to do it. She chooses to go to it by herself.
8. Sing Nursery Rhymes with Numbers in
Exposing kids to numbers in as many places as possible, is the best way to recall them and help them make the connection between the number 2 and 2 objects.
Nursery rhymes which include numbers that we love to sing in our house:
- Baa, Baa, Black Sheep
- Five Little Ducks
- Five Little Monkeys
- Ten Green Bottles
- 1,2,3,4,5, Once I Caught A Fish Alive
- Five Little Speckled Frogs
BBC has a great resource here for counting number songs.
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A 2-year-old should know 8 different nursery rhymes off by heart or at least be on their way so that they know 8 by the time they are 4-years-old.