Count Von Count would have a vonderful time counting at Christmas and holiday time. Try some Christmas counting fun for kids and count the smiles.
Counting can happen with anything and at any time. Just think of how many times in a day that you count. Change for parking, the number of errands to do, places to set at the table, minutes left for food to cook, and the right number of kids at the door. It happens so often for adults we don’t even notice.
Kids need countless many, many opportunities to count. Quite young toddlers will say the names for the numbers. The words won’t yet be in order but kids are building their familiarity with them. Just like first steps are a little unsteady, so is counting. Even once kids can say the numbers in order, this doesn’t indicate that kids are actually counting. In order to count, a child has to figure out that each number means one item. We might think math is all about numbers, but really it’s all about relationships.
To help kids develop their understanding of how numbers work, have fun with counting. Of course, we are all counting the days until Christmas but there are other things too. Count buttons on a sweater, the number of noses that are red from outside, how many spoons are needed for lunch, the number of stuffies in the kitchen. There are lots of wonderful kids’ books about Christmas and counting. You and your child can also sing about counting:
1 little, 2 little, 3 little candy canes,
4 little, 5 little, 6 little candy canes,
7 little, 8 little, 9 little candy canes,
10 little candy canes.
Instead of candy canes, sing about 10 little stockings hanging up, 10 little Christmas gifts, or 10 little busy elfs. Counting is also a good strategy for tidying up. Ask your child to put away 10 toys in the toy box. You can get the numbers mixed up and have to do it again and put away some more toys. The sillier the better so it’s still fun. What else counts for Christmas counting fun for kids?