A key concept in math for kids is a kind of ‘oneness’, which is basically that each object gets one number. When kids are learning to count they may point to an object and say a whole string of numbers before going to the next object or they may miss a bunch of objects and only count the first and last things. With lots of experiences, children learn to point to each item in turn and say a single number. This is a critical concept not just for kindergarten readiness but for all kinds of later learning. Some children are accurate counters when they start kindergarten for small groups of things; some can correctly count groups of more than 10 or 20! But all kids can benefit from lots of counting fun and from making all kinds of number connectionswhether or not you are working on readiness for kindergarten.
Let’s start with 1. What are all the different ways of showing 1? One plate on the table for each person. 1 shoe on each foot. 1 day, 1 activity at a time. Have your child choose 1 stuffie or 1 book to read or 1 snack. Together tidy 1 room in the house. Hop on 1 foot. Wave 1 hand. Stand on 1 leg. Color a picture with 1 crayon. Sing 1 song. Are you having a w1derful time?