Q. Why was the number 6 afraid of 7?
A. Because 7 8(ate) 9.
7 isn’t a scary number–it’s wonder-full. Think of the 7 wonders of the world. What else has the number 7? 7 days of the week, 7 dwarfs, 7 names for musical notes, 7 Chinese Brothers, James Bond 007, summer holidays is month 7, 7 Little Goats (and 1 wolf).
The number 7 does seem magical as children explore and learn quantity. 5 is quite a natural number. It’s easy to see and feel. 6 is a fairly easy number, also. After all, it’s good ol’ 5 plus 1 more. But 7 is really quite a few. In my experience–I have no research or data to back this up, only my own observation–once children grasp how many things it takes to make 7, it seems that they learn the rest of the numbers in hardly any time at all. 7 seems to be a turning or tipping point.
Your child may or may not be ready to connect 7 to that quantity, but just like many other kindergarten readiness skills, this develops with lots of playing and discovering. Today, you and your child may find a time when you can explore 7: counting 7 buttons on a shirt, making a tower of 7 yogurt containers, putting 7 spoons in the dishwasher. You may want to wear off some energy by asking your little one to jump 7 times or hop. Is 7 giant steps enough to go down the hall?
Readiness for kindergarten grows over time, just like our kids do. And isn’t it magical how children develop and learn? What magic did you do today with 7?