Your Child Will Learn
Introduction to counting with one-to-one correspondence
Here’s What to Do
- Count your baby’s fingers and toes, touching them one at a time while counting out loud.
- Kiss or tickle your baby’s ears, nose, bellybutton, elbows, etc. while counting them.
- Repeat, counting your own fingers, toes, ears, etc.
Put PEER Into Action
PAUSE
- Make eye contact with your baby as you talk.
ENGAGE
- Say your baby’s name and what you’re counting. Like this: “Olivia, we’re going to count your fingers!”
- “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. You have 10 fingers!”
ENCOURAGE
- Notice where your baby’s looking, and talk about that. “Yes, Liam! Papa has 1 nose!”
- Help your baby make the connection between the number word and amount by touching or kissing what you’re counting. Like: “Lucas, let’s count your elbows. You have 1 (kiss) 2 (kiss) elbows. 2 elbows!”
REFLECT
- How does your baby react when you’re counting?
Not Quite Ready
Even if it doesn’t seem like your baby understands yet, counting out loud will help them learn the number sequence and the overall concept of counting.
Ready for More
Ask your child what number comes next as you’re counting. Older children may attempt to answer (but they likely won’t say the right number).
As Your Child Masters This Skill
They will begin to understand that we count to determine the amount of something.
Time to Complete
5 minutes
Materials Needed
None