How to Teach Your Preschooler Numbers

Teaching your child numbers is a good way to give him a head start when he enters preschool. Counting to three, five or even ten is a big accomplishment for a preschooler, so reinforcing numbers and counting each day will help him retain that knowledge and feel very proud of himself.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Books
• Number posters
• Abacus
• Flashcards

1. Incorporate counting into everyday activities, like counting her books or crayons. Count the number of chairs outside on your deck and count items at the grocery store, like five bananas in a bunch or two apples in the bag.

2. Read number books to your child each day. Make sure the pages feature the number of objects for that specific number and count them on each page.

3. Hang a number poster, like one you would see in a preschool classroom, in your child's play area and go over it often. Choose a poster that includes objects for your child to count.

4. Play counting games with your child. Ask him to do an activity a certain number of times, such as jumping up and down three times or touching his toes two times.

5. Use an abacus when you feel your child is ready to move beyond the first three or five numbers. An abacus lets your child be in control of the counting and can help him learn larger numbers and addition.

6. Sing common songs with your child, like "Ten Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" or "The Ants Go Marching." Check out "Songs for Teaching" for more counting songs (see Resources below).

7. Use flashcards to help your child identify numbers. Recognizing numbers is an important skill your child needs in preschool.

Tips & Warnings

• Count simply at first, up to three or five. If your child is ready to learn bigger numbers before entering preschool, work on moving up to ten or beyond.

Resources

• Visit Songs for Teaching to learn new counting songs.