How Toddlers Learn to Count (and Games That Help)

Most two-year-olds can "count" to ten, and almost none of them know what they are doing. They are reciting a list of words, like a song. Real counting, knowing that the last number you say tells you how many there are, comes later and takes a surprising amount of practice. The good news is that it is fun practice, and it happens best in everyday play.

The steps on the way

Saying the number words in order. First comes the list itself: one, two, three, often with a few skipped or repeated. Songs and rhymes help a lot here.

One word for one thing. Next, children learn to point at each object once and say one number for it. Toddlers often skip one or count the same toy twice. Touching or moving each thing as you count it, such as putting it in a box, makes one-to-one counting much easier.

The last number is the answer. This is the big idea. Researchers found that children typically take a year or more to understand that when you count "one, two, three", the three means there are three. Before that, ask "how many?" and a child will happily count again, instead of saying the total.

Seeing small amounts at a glance. Most children can soon see two or three things without counting. Dot patterns, like on dice, help them recognise bigger amounts quickly too.

Making a number, and adding. Asked to "give me four", a child has to count out exactly four and stop. Later comes "two here and one more, how many now?", the first step into adding.

Why it is worth the time

Early number skills turn out to matter. A large study combining data from six long-running projects found that children's maths knowledge when they started school was one of the strongest predictors of their later school achievement, in maths and in reading. Simple number play also helps: in a study with four- and five-year-olds, playing a linear number board game for a few short sessions improved several different number skills, and the gains were still there weeks later.

None of this needs worksheets. It needs a parent who counts things out loud, often.

Everyday counting games

• Count while you move things. Socks into the basket, grapes onto the plate, blocks into the box: one thing, one number.
• Ask "how many?" at the end. After counting, ask again. If your child counts again instead of answering, say "three! there are three", and move on.
• Give me… "Can you give me four spoons?" is harder than it sounds, and a great game at the table.
• Stairs and steps. Count steps up and down. Going down, try counting backwards.
• Fingers. Show numbers on your fingers and let your child copy them. Five on one hand is a handy anchor.

How Counting Critters does it

Counting Critters on Tiny Hands Play follows the same steps. A friendly whale asks how many animals are in a little boat. Tapping each one shows a number over it and a note climbs higher, so one tap is one animal is one number, and the last number is the answer. Later levels go up to seven, then ten (the boat's two rows of five seats work like a ten-frame). On some levels the whale asks for a number of animals and your child fills the boat and starts the engine, with no running total to copy, so they have to count and know when to stop; count too far and the engine just coughs. The last levels add animals that swim up and take away ones that jump into the water. The game has no voice on purpose, so you can count along in your own language. A wrong answer turns red and the whale shakes its head, and there is no timer.

Real counting too

The best counting practice is still away from a screen: on the stairs, at snack time, in the bath. A game is a nice extra; counting the real world together is the main event.