How to Teach a Child Their Phone Number

Young children are like sponges, and have the ability to learn many things – including important information, like their own address or phone number. Teaching a child their phone number is not only a great way to begin your child's lifelong learning experience, but it can also help your child in an emergency situation, like if they get lost or separated from you while out and about. Read on to learn how to teach a child their phone number:

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Teach Your Child to Recognize Numbers
   
   Before you try to teach your child their phone number, they should learn the basics of numbers in general. For the purposes of teaching a child their phone number, you really only need to teach him or her the numbers 1 through 10; teaching them 1-10 first is also a great way to introduce more information about numbers later on.
   
   You can use your flashcards to introduce young children to the concept of numbers. Giving your child a depiction of the number along with its name will help your child recognize what each number looks like and what to call it. To further their learning, point out the use of numbers in everyday life: counting change, pushing buttons on an ATM, and so on. Engorging your child in the concept of numbers will help them develop a more thorough understanding of their importance.

2. Introduce Your Child to Telephone Numbers
   
   After your child has the concept of numbers down, and can readily recognize them when asked, you can begin to teach them their phone number. Explain what a phone number is, to start; teach your child that when people push numbers on a phone in a certain order, it will connect them to another person, with whom they can then talk. Have them watch you as you dial different phone numbers to call friends and family members on your home phone, and let them talk to the people you contact. This will help them understand what a phone number does, and make it easier for them to grasp the concept of a telephone number.

3. Turn the Phone Number into a Song
   
   When your child sees what a phone number is capable of doing, they will likely be excited to learn their own phone number. To make it easier for your child to learn their phone number, try turning the phone number into a song, using a tune they are already familiar with – like the “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” for example – and sing it at least a few times a day to keep the phone number fresh in their memory. This can also help your child immensely when it comes time to recall their phone number for another purpose.

4. Show Your Child How to Dial Their Number
   
   Once your child has their telephone number down, you can show them how those numbers relate to a keypad on a telephone. Unplug your family's home phone from the wall, and show your child how it works: how to turn it on, how to dial the numbers, and so on. Demonstrate dialing the phone to your child, and then allow them to dial the phone themselves, by recalling their phone number and repeating it out loud as they press the corresponding numbers. This is also another way for your child to remember their phone number; by memorizing the order in which the numbers are pressed, they will have yet another way to remind them of their phone number.