Why was the number 6 afraid of the number 7? Because 7 ate(8) 9!
While 7 isn’t a scary number, it does seem to be different from the others. It’s easy to work and play with smaller numbers and hands have a number 5 built right in. Dice, basic colors, small egg cartons and other things come in 6. 8 is easy to do, just tuck in the thumbs using 4 fingers on each hand and there is 8. All 10 fingers is a snap and 9 is taking only 1 away. But 7 is definitely tricky.
Some things do come in 7. There are 7 days of the week, Snow White and the 7 dwarfs, and 7 musical notes (do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do). And 7 can be magical. Once children grasp how many is 7 –“sevenness”– it seems that they have figured out how numbers work and they learn more numbers much quicker. I have not found any research to support this; it is my own observation from working with little ones.
Like other readiness for kindergarten skills, your child may or may not be ready to connect 7 with it’s quantity. Some play and discovery with 7 will give your child experience with this number and help build understanding and number sense. Ways to explore 7 might include counting 7 buttons on a shirt, making a tower of 7 yogurt containers (more might show up), or 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 from the kitchen to the bedroom? How far can your child go taking 7 baby steps? 7 slices of banana may be just right to eat.
Kindergarten readiness 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 or other numbers?
