How to Teach a Toddler Number Recognition

Counting and number recognition is a concept often introduced these days in preschool to prepare children to learn simple addition and subtraction in kindergarten. If you'd like to make sure that your child's introduction to the world of numbers is actually fun and enjoyable, you can introduce some fun counting and number recognition concepts with your toddler. Just make sure these games stay games because children develop at different rates, and if your two-year-old is not showing an aptitude for advanced calculus, well, this is entirely appropriate. Don't pressure him to learn at this point--keep the number play fun, or move on to another activity and reintroduce it at some later point. Read on to learn how to teach a toddler number recognition.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Counting picture books
• Counting videos
• Paper
• Crayons and/or markers
• Stickers
• Large foam numbers (or cardboard cut-outs)
• Craft sticks/popsicle sticks/tongue depressors
• CD player, music CDs with number songs
• Snack that can be counted like small crackers, cheerios or other food

1. Read a picture book to your child that deals with numbers or counting. "Chicka Chicka 1-2-3" is a good one, as it clearly depicts the different numbers and even gives them certain distinguishing characteristics. Any beginning counting book will do as long as it clearly pictures numerals and associates them with numbers of objects.

2. Watch a video about counting and numbers. Many favorite children's TV programs feature episodes that deal with counting--"Clifford the Big Red Dog," "Elmo's World," "Baby Einstein" and Richard Scarry all have counting videos that children enjoy. Be sure to watch the video with your child, and count out loud the numbers along with the characters.

3. Make number sticker charts together. Draw a number on a piece of paper, then have your child (or help your child) place a corresponding number of stickers on that paper. You can collect these sheets and put them in counting order to make your own counting book. It's really fun if you can have different types of stickers, so you could do "one dog, two balls, three bananas" or more. If you want to make things a little more complicated you can draw lines to divide each sheet of paper into four squares, then put a different number in each box.

4. Get some large foam numbers or cut numbers our of cardboard, then decorate each one with its own face, hair, clothes or other features. Glue the numbers to the craft sticks to make number puppets. You could act out a number story such as "Chicka Chicka 1-2-3" or put on a CD with a song about numbers like the "Numbers Rhumba." Have each number come up and dance around when it is mentioned.

5. Have a snack using foods that can easily be counted--small crackers, cheerios or bite-sized cookies. Count each piece before you eat it . You can also ask your child questions such as "Would you like two cookies or three?" thus introducing concepts like greater than and lesser than in a painless (and yummy) way. When kids get older, using food items is a really fun way to teach addition, subtraction and even simple fractions.

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