12 Fun Activities to Improve Your Child’s Counting Skills

Counting, one of the most fundamental skills in mathematics, is the skill of representing and understanding numbers. Acquiring the skill is an indicator your kid is ready for preschool. So, it means that it is important to work on these skills frequently and consistently, beyond just once or twice a year. Children who are not able to count or do basic math will tend to struggle very quickly in school, which can lead to further problems in their education. Without intervention, they will then be faced with difficulties when they have their own adult responsibilities.

To help your child improve his counting skills, it is necessary for you as the parent or guardian to create engaging activities that are enjoyable for both you and your child. These 12 fun activities will help your child progress their counting skills and teach the importance of having an active imagination when solving various mathematical problems.

Fruit Counting

The first counting activity your child will participate in as soon as they are old enough to eat fruit is here. Fruit counting is a game that can be played in many different ways. The most basic way to play this game is by simply learning the names of the different types of fruits and vegetables. It will help them count from less than one up to ten, which helps them with their early math skills. Another way to perform this game is by simply learning how many fruits or vegetables you have on hand without counting each item.

Dance Steps

If your child is learning to count by twos or threes, you can teach him some interesting facts about numbers while creating a fun dance routine that incorporates counting with hands as they move up and down. 

Baby Shoe Counting

When teaching kids new counting skills, they must have a way of practicing in a comforting environment before moving on to something more challenging. This activity uses familiar objects that are easy for your child to identify so that she can practice without feeling too overwhelmed by anything new or unfamiliar. Just gather up some baby shoes and have your child work on counting them.

Sing Rhyme Songs With Kids

If kids aren’t naturally interested in learning the names for the numbers, you can always help them by making up songs about objects and counting up from one to ten. As you make up the songs, be sure to put as much emphasis on each number as possible so that your child will begin to pick them up. There are many counting rhyme songs that are very educational for children. You can pick whichever suits your child. Sometimes these rhyme songs are silly, funny, or just enjoyable to sing because of their catchy melody. If it’s a funny or a silly song, that will help get your kid into a playful mood and begin learning. Rhyme songs you can sing with your kid are Five Little Monkey, Five Little Ducks, Ten Green Bottles, 1, 2, Buckle My Shoe, and many more.

Count and Sort

It is a very easy counting activity that your child can also use as a practice for counting by tens or hundreds. The main idea of this game is to have the children sort objects (for example, plastic animals) into categories according to the particular number of each object that fits inside the category. As your child progresses, he can begin counting more than one object in each category per group. For example, you can have three pandas, three basketballs, and five pumpkins in one pile if they are all the same colors.

Play The Mystery Socks

Children may need a partner to perform this activity. They need to use one sock and eight flat floral marbles; the flat marbles fit this game because they will not roll away. One child must place a number of marbles into the sock. The other child reaches into the sock without peeking, touches them, counts, and then states the number. After that, the children will find out if the answer is right by taking the marbles out. 

Toothpick Numbers

Colorful toothpicks and regular toothpicks can work for this activity. The first thing you must do is draw large numbers on colorful construction or sugar paper. Using the toothpick, ask children to deposit the right number of toothpicks on each number or have them put toothpicks on the number outlines. It will help kids learn to recognize and familiarize themselves with different numbers.

Counting Coins

If you have a budget, you can buy a piggy bank and a large number of play coins. Make sure the play coins can be easily inserted in the piggybank’s opening. Let kids take turns depositing two, three, four coins in the cute piggy bank while counting them. Once the piggy bank is full, you may shake it until it is empty and start the activity all over again. Kids adore and enjoy this very simple activity.

Roll The Dice

It is an excellent activity for children to practice one-to-one correspondence and counting. To perform this one, you may need some blocks and a pair of dice. Ask your child to roll the die, then have him count the dots. Then allow him to stack a tower with those numbers of blocks. And he must count as he makes it. After he finished, give him time to check his work and count the blocks over again, thus practicing his one-to-one correspondence.

Drawing Numbered Sets

It is another simple yet fun way to develop your child’s counting skills. On a piece of paper, write a certain number and word that you like your kid to draw. For instance, you write three houses on paper; your kids need to draw three houses. You can write as many as possible. Your child will develop his counting skill and enhance his fine motor skills by doing this consistently.

Name The Number

Use flashcards for learning number names and their association with the correct number. Write a group of random numbers on a flashcard, point out the numbers one by one and ask your kid to tell you which number it is in the group.

Counting Outside

Take your child along on your daily errands, walks, or bike rides, and let them count different things as you do it together. It helps young children learn to associate counting with real-life experiences, making the activity more meaningful for their development in the future. Start with counting people, then move on to cars, animals, buildings, etc.

Even though there are so many ideas on the internet, these are some of the most effective ways you can use to teach your child counting. The main idea is to have fun with your child while simultaneously learning something new. Not all of these activities will be ideal for every child, so try more than one and see which activity works best for your child.