Easy ways to teach kids to count. How to make mathematics simple and accessible for a child and teach him to count

Greetings, dear readers! In this article, we will talk about how to teach a child to count to 10 quickly and naturally, using game techniques. After reading this article, you will be able to master basic math skills with your baby in a short time. Want to try? Then read on!

Preparing inventory

Babies start learning counting at 2-3 years old. By the age of 4, many children already know how to count to 10. Starting to master the basic knowledge of mathematics, you do not need to arrange real school lessons for a three-year-old child. Conduct classes in a playful way, for which you will definitely need visual aids. What can be used to interest the baby?

  • Cubes with numbers (soft or wooden);
  • plastic numbers with magnets and a tablet for fastening;
  • numerical lotto, puzzles;
  • abacus;
  • cards with objects and numbers drawn on them;
  • counting sticks (they can be replaced with matches or popsicle sticks);
  • educational cartoons, videos.

If it is not possible to buy bright toys, you can make manuals with your own hands. Do you have potatoes at home? Cut off a thick circle of potatoes and cut out the number that your baby is currently studying. Fry the workpiece and offer it to the crumbs for breakfast.

You can make numbers from any improvised materials:

  • cardboard;
  • colored paper;
  • plasticine;
  • cereals;
  • shells;
  • pebbles;
  • twigs;
  • beads, etc.

Count any objects and phenomena that you see on a walk or on the street:

  • steps;
  • cars;
  • trees;
  • toys;
  • people, etc.

Everything that surrounds you is suitable as a counting material.

Where to begin?

The sooner you introduce the baby to the score, the better. If a preschooler at the age of 2 already speaks and thinks well, you can proceed. First, limit the circle of knowledge to the first two digits. Place one stick in front of the child and say: "One." Then put down the second one and say, "Two."

When these concepts are mastered, count up to two everything that you find in your environment. If the skill is fixed, go to three, four, etc. Do not rush to introduce the baby to the written inscription of numbers. Count verbally. The baby should realize the practical application of the counting skill.

On the way to mastering numbers up to 5, counting rhymes, small rhymes can be of great help. By memorizing them, the child will quickly remember the order of the numbers. Play hide-and-seek, saying the well-known counting rhyme "I count to five ..." The game will be both useful and interesting.

When the direct account is mastered, we proceed to the reverse. Hang a picture of a rocket on the wall. Now imagine that it needs to be launched into space. Try counting back from five. Practice shows that the skill of counting back is acquired rather slowly and requires maximum patience and attention from parents and the child.

  • at home for ordinary activities;
  • away;
  • on a walk;
  • in transport;
  • on the way to kindergarten, etc.

Count forward and backward. Arrange game situations for your child in which the simplest mathematical skills are simply necessary:

  • Draw a winding path. Divide it into cells. Throw the dice in turn and go through as many cells with chips as there are dots on the dice. In the children's store you can buy a ready-made game. She perfectly trains the counting skill within 6.
  • Shop game. Arrange the toys on an imaginary counter, set your own price for each of them within 10. Cut out small rectangles from colored paper - this is money. If you have obsolete 1 kopeck coins, they are great for playing. Let the baby be the buyer. Its task is to correctly count the number of coins or paper "bills".
  • Involvement in household chores. Invite the baby to wash or wipe 3 cups, and give the rest to mom. The task of the child is to count the required number of cups.
  • Game "Messenger". Lay out cubes, a designer, magnets and other toys in one room. Go to the next room. The kid plays the role of a messenger: he must bring as many items from the next room as he was asked.

Encourage any achievements, praise the baby. But do not turn praise into training when, after the correct answer, the baby receives a candy or permission to watch a cartoon. So the child will form the opinion that study and gifts are directly related.

Learning numbers on paper

Only after the baby has learned to count up to 10 verbally and mentally without errors, you can introduce him to the graphic design of numbers.

Introducing the child to writing a number, show the corresponding card, put on a video of a cartoon or a children's TV show that talks about this number. Sculpt a number from plasticine, draw and color it, cut it out of colored paper, lay it out of matches, etc. The more visuals you use, the sooner you get the result.

Offer the child the game "Guess!" For her, you will need cubes or cards with numbers written on them. Show your child a number and ask him to name it.

If your baby loves outdoor games and does not want to play with cubes or magnets, do otherwise. Hang a sheet of paper with randomly written numbers on the door or on the wall. And now the most interesting thing: invite the baby to make a somersault (jump, throw the ball, etc.), and then name the number that you show. So alternate physical and mental exercises. Changing actions perfectly trains not only memory, but also reaction.

Older children can be taught to write numbers. Use printed copybooks for this purpose. Invite your child to first write a large number, then gradually reduce the outline to the size of a cell in a school notebook.

Solving examples

After mastering the account, it's time to learn how to solve examples. We start with a simple one: we introduce the baby to the plus sign and add: 1 + 1 = 2. For clarity, use counting sticks, matches, any identical objects.

When this simplest example is mastered, we add one to two and get three. We act in this way until we reach 10. To consolidate the addition, repeat the studied examples regularly in oral and written form. When the child answers your question, how much, for example, 5 + 1, will answer correctly without hesitation, proceed to the next step.

Add to all numbers up to 10 first 2, then 3, etc. When addition within 10 is fully mastered, give the child random examples, without being tied to a specific term.

Important! Do not let the baby count on his fingers, use a ruler or other improvised means. Solving examples for addition and subtraction within 10 is the basis of all mathematical operations. The task of parents is to ensure that the child knows the answers of the examples by heart.

Learn subtraction in the same way as addition. After successfully consolidating the knowledge gained, you can vary the complexity of the examples: give in the form of an equation with one unknown (instead of X or Y used in high school, draw a square, a house or any other image in place of the missing number).

What should be remembered?

When studying numbers with a child, follow the rules of learning:

  • One lesson should last no more than 10 minutes, so as not to annoy the baby and not tire him. Spend 3 such “lessons” during the day.
  • Periodically return to the studied material, but do not do it daily.
  • Do not scold the child if something does not work out for him. Correctly calculate the complexity of tasks.
  • Fix the material in everyday life so that the child sees its practical application.

And most importantly: psychologists believe that in the learning process, the baby goes through three stages:

  1. gets used to the terms, designations;
  2. understands the essence of what is being said;
  3. remembers.

Don't rush to get results! Practice more, and at some point your baby will successfully count to 10!

If you know other successful methods for teaching kids to count, please share them in the comments. See you soon!

First stage. We do not use number notation

The primary task is to teach to count to 10 , n using the appropriate numbers. Actions with objects come to the fore. For example, there was one spoon, they put another one - there were two spoons. Then you can increase the number of spoons, saying the name of the number.

Practical tasks will help in solving this problem. For example, more often ask a child about the amount of something: how many plates, how many slippers, how many birds are on that branch. You can count anything, even stairs.

Second phase. Getting to know the numbers.

In the first grade, the number 1, 2, 0 is first studied, and then 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. The position of zero is due to the fact that at first it is difficult for the student to understand why emptiness is indicated by a number. And then, when actions with numbers are already being practiced, it becomes clear why zero is needed. For example, there were five apples on the table, five were eaten. Remaining - nothing, that is, zero.

Another option: These drawings are shown, and the teacher asks the children: “What has changed?”. They will note: "Nothing."

The second sample shows that if three points are completely removed from one square, then there will be an empty square and there will be no points left at all.

The main rule that children should understand when counting to ten is that each number is less than the next one by one and more than the last number by one.

Techniques for learning to count up to ten:


  • Steam train game. A common practice for memorizing numbers in first grade. One student comes out in front of the class, he says that he is the first carriage. After that, another one comes out and says: one and one more will be two. And so it goes until ten. Then the operation is done in reverse order. The wagons "disintegrate" one by one. The purpose of this exercise is to memorize the order of numbers in forward and reverse order.

  • Line display. This is an outdated method based on rote memorization and visual proof of the order of numbers.

  • Counting on fingers. Traditional and easiest for kids. Can be used at first until the child is in order of numbers. Then it is necessary to wean from the fingers, telling the "secrets" of the transformations of numbers.


  • Using funny poems and cartoons about numbers. It will be interesting to watch the cartoon "How the goat learned to count" or pronounce counting rhymes.

Memory poems for learning counting

berry bill

A fox walked along the edge:
- Once, in a basket of strawberries,
Two - like blueberries in the sky,
Three - ruddy lingonberries,
And four - that's cloudberries,
Five - a little currant,
Six - like a viburnum bead,
Seven - like the sun rowan,
Eight - in the foot of a blackberry,
Nine is blueberry
Ten is a juicy raspberry.
Here is the full basket!

One hand, two hand
We're making a snowman!
Three - four, three - four,
Let's draw a wider mouth!
Five - find a carrot for the nose,
We will find coals for the eyes.
Six - put on a hat askew.
Let him laugh with us.
Seven and eight, seven and eight
We will ask him to dance.
Nine - ten - snowman
Over the head - somersault!
Well, the circus!

Let the fingers go for a walk
And the second to catch up
Third fingers run
And the fourth on foot
Fifth finger jumped
And at the end of the road he fell.


  • Game "Name the neighbors of the number". For example, you need to name the neighbors of the number 4.

  • An exercise "The numbers got lost". It is necessary to arrange in order randomly arranged pictures with numbers. There is another interpretation of this exercise: Baba Yaga mixed up all the numbers. Help me arrange them correctly.


  • Under the fence, 10 paws of chickens were visible. Question: How many chickens are there? - Counting in twos: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 - five chickens.

  • How many boots should be given to three goslings? Similar to the previous problem.

  • It is most convenient to count by fives by watching the clock.

How to learn the table of addition and subtraction within ten?

After the child knows the order of numbers, it is useful to apply tasks on the composition of the number. You can, of course, memorize the composition of the number 5, for example, but it is better to use game actions with objects with a parallel setting for memorization.

For example:

There were 4 oranges in one plate and 2 in the other. How many oranges are there? (Problem to find the sum)

Only 6 apples, and three friends. Divide each equally, equally.

You can also combine simple tasks with small schemes that are easy to apply in the classroom and at home.

It is not difficult to give an example of the commutative law of addition: one plate with two apples lies on the table, and another plate with four apples lies side by side, if you swap them, the total number of apples will still remain unchanged.

How to teach a child to add and subtract with the transition through a dozen?

In the example below, to add the numbers 8 and 5, the second term is expanded to complete the first term to ten, and then the remainder is added to ten.

As for the subtraction, then the reduced is decomposed according to the bit composition. In the example of 15 minus 8, we see that the number 15 is decomposed to its bit units. As a result, you always get 10 and bit units - 5. Now: the subtrahend must be decomposed into terms. The first term will be bit units from 15, and the second term is selected (children know the composition of the number 8). Now it remains from 10 to subtract the second term from the eight. And the answer is ready. With a little practice, it will be easy to solve such examples in your mind.

For an elementary school child, only three tables are important:


  • addition and subtraction up to ten;

  • with the transition through a dozen;

  • multiplication table.

Knowing these three tables, it is easy to study further mathematics in the middle classes. Therefore, the first account of a child is his first steps into the world of mathematics. And it is desirable that these steps be in a playful way, because an interesting and visual form of exercises helps to learn to count faster and gnaw at the granite of mathematics science with greater motivation.

The queen of sciences, mathematics is the foundation on which the whole world around us rests. It is not easy to master its basics, but it is impossible to do without them. Mothers of young children understand this very well, trying to instill in them a love of mathematics from an early age.

However, not every kid succeeds in learning numbers, learning to solve examples and counting in his mind - at least not right away. Therefore, the parents of future geniuses are trying as best they can to help them master the difficult science of counting.

When to start?

The answer to this delicate and burning question is given by certified psychologists and teachers.

2-3 years

At 2-3 years old, kids begin to feel in themselves not only strength, but also a desire to receive new information. Like a sponge, they try to absorb everything that happens around them and reach out towards the unknown. However, during this period, babies can only learn to count from 1 to 10 - and no more.

3-4 years

At 3 years old, the child counts quite consciously, with pleasure taking candies from relatives and using simple counting techniques to share them.

4-5 years

Three whales or the basics of teaching mathematics

Very often, parents blindly believe that a child's preparation for school ends with mastering the account, but this is their big mistake.

Geometry to the rescue

The kid must master the ability to recognize the shapes and sizes of objects, learn to figure out which object is shorter and which is longer, and determine where it is: on the right or on the left. A child should be able to do this (preferably) by the age of 3.

To do this, you need to repeat with him daily the names of figures cut out of cardboard, explain the direction in which the child is walking (for example, on a walk), and show which of the houses is higher and which is lower.

To gnaw on the granite of science was not a burden, mom should conduct lessons in a playful way: easy and interesting. Mathematical games such as dominoes or loto, and pictures depicting numbers come to the aid of parents.

Visibility and simplicity are the key to success

You need to start with the simplest lessons: using a good example, add one to one. Any kid will understand that if you add one more to three pears, there will be not three, but four pears. At the same time, the complex terms “plus” and “minus” should be introduced a little later - as soon as the child understands the essence of the process.

Important Score Rules

Dosing feed information

Spend 3 lessons a day, devoting 10 minutes to each lesson. So the kid will not get tired of the abundance of information and will not lose interest in learning.

No daily repetition

The mother of learning is repetition, but if we talk about it in the context of mathematics, then repeating the material covered daily is not worth it. Return to what you have learned only when you need it to solve more difficult problems.

Feasible complexity

Do not yell or scold your baby if the learning process is difficult. Maybe some example is really difficult for him? Think back to when you were a child and just choose an easier task for your child.

Consolidation of material in everyday life

Not for all kids, mathematics becomes a part of life - even with daily activities. To consolidate the results achieved, count with your child everything that comes to hand: cars, leaves on the pavement, apples in a plate, cats on the roof, trams on the street.

Compliance with the stages

Psychologists say that while learning the material, the child goes through three stages at once:

  • habituation (for example, to terms);
  • understanding the essence of what is being studied;
  • memorization of information.

Do not rush it in the process! Talk to your baby, compare objects, mention numbers in conversation, help remember numbers.

For example, when setting the dinner table, say how many plates you put on it. You will see that in a couple of weeks a child with the appearance of a professional accountant will talk about how many appliances are on the table.

Teaching kids to count to 10

When the first "five" is mastered, it will be possible to increase the counting range to 10.

Ways to speed up the learning process

To master the score much faster and more successfully, you can use some tips and game methods of learning.

Including you can diversify the process:

  • using fingers;
  • including educational programs;
  • using educational toys and abacus;
  • telling the child rhymes;
  • counting with the baby everything in a row and every day.

Getting your child involved in household chores

Ask the child to wash two or three cups and let him count them. You can also invite your child to memorize 5 items in the list of products that you make before each trip to the store.

Enabling cards

Card exercises are very useful during the period of learning numbers. Show them to the baby first sequentially, then alternating, so that the baby learns to count the objects in the pictures, and not just memorize them automatically.

Good games are a great tradition

On the way to mastering the account, the game form of classes will help you: the games themselves, directly, funny poems and counting rhymes.

"Count with me!"

"I count to five,

I can't until ten

One, two, three, four, five -

I'm going looking!

Ready or not, here I come!"

Shop game

One of the favorite games of children - the store, will help you quickly and correctly teach your baby to count. Arrange “goods” on the table: books, toys, fruits and shower gels, and assign a certain price for each of them.

Let your child be a cashier in this store, and you will come to visit him as a buyer. Ask businesslike how much and what costs, not paying attention to the price tags (for the convenience of the child, it would be better to attach them to each “lot”).

"Guess!"

Take the plastic numbers on the magnets and, showing them to the child, ask them to name their numerical values. Reward each correct answer with either candy or watching a cartoon.

We sculpt from plasticine

You can include plasticine in the work: when making figures of animals, ask the child to blind two ears for a hare or make 4 paws for a bear.

Learning to write numbers

As soon as the 10-digit milestone is overcome, start teaching your baby how to write numbers, devoting a separate day to each of them.

You can do it like this:

  • draw a number on a sheet and fix it in a conspicuous place;
  • mold it from plasticine;
  • turn on a program that tells about the figure;
  • give illustrative examples: “On the 1st, a trip to the circus will take place!”;
  • use the clock face: "What time is it now? One o'clock!".

Learning to count up to 20

A prerequisite for learning should be the fact that the baby knows all the numbers from 1 to 9, as well as the number 10.

The concept of tens and units

Explain to the child that any number after 10 consists of two digits, the first of which is tens and the second is ones. To make him understand this, take two boxes and put ten cubes in one of them, and ten balls in the other.

Sequence of digits in numbers

The kid must remember that two-digit numbers have a certain sequence and go one after another - 11, then 12, then 13. As soon as the kid learns this, ask him to put 16 cubes in an empty box and let him count them aloud when folding.

Learning to count up to 100

At 4-5 years old, a child who counts from 1 to 20 gets acquainted with a new frontier: numbers up to 100. The process is long, laborious, requiring patience from both you and the baby.

Expanding the number of tens

Explain to the child that there are as many as 9 such tens (in a row up to a hundred) and name these numbers. Be warned that there are units between them and the numbers do not go one after the other. Show him examples within 20: books on a shelf, trees in a garden, cars in a parking lot.

New day - new numbers!

Teach your child 10 new numbers every day. Let him tell you exactly what he remembers. When the kid has studied at least three dozen, start a game: skip up to one hundred and one number in a row and let him find the necessary “element” on his own.

Teaching a child to count examples

Addition and subtraction are basic skills that will be useful to the baby both at school and before starting school.

"Beloved" allowance

A visual aid can help you study: apples, cubes or sweets. In general, everything that looks at, and eats, and counts is interesting.

Start simple

Start the analysis of "flights" with a simple one: for example, with the number three. How can you get it? Put together 1 and 2 candies.

Follow the sequence

Continue adding until your child understands the principle of addition, and only then smoothly move on to subtraction.

speak out loud

Say everything you do: "I'll take two pears from you, now there will be one left." Any kid will remember well how exactly he was deprived of one fruit.

Use tutorials

Take notebooks, books and other manuals containing examples of addition and subtraction to help, since there are a great many of them on sale today.

No boredom!

If you're making up examples, don't make them boring. Let the proposed task be funny so that the kid is interested in solving it.

Study the composition of the number

The child must memorize the composition of the number. Explain to your child that the number 10 can be made up of 6 and 4, 5 and 5, 7 and 3, and so on.

How to teach a child to count in the mind?

Accounting in the mind has a beneficial effect on the mental abilities of the baby. But, thinking about how to teach a child to count in the mind, you need to understand that you should not start such activities before 4 years old, otherwise you will not succeed.

The bigger, the better

Remember: the more the baby counts in his mind, the better for him.

More less

Help your child learn the concept of "more and less". When reading books, ask your child which color is more present here, and which is less.

What is equal?

The kid should know what "equally" means. Ask him a question: “There are 3 cucumbers here, and 3 here. Where are there more cucumbers?”.

From changing the places of the terms

Explain to the child that when the places of the terms change, the sum does not change. This is the basis of the foundations of mathematics, which only the lazy do not remember.

Educational games

Tables with numbers or learning cubes can come to your aid. Use them to remember the score.

Account of everything in a row

Summing up

How to teach a child to count quickly? Quite difficult, especially for him to do it easily and without hesitation. Only everyday practice and personal experience, only exciting activities and your perseverance will help your child master such a difficult science as mathematics.

And if you doubt your abilities and do not feel “harsh” pedagogical inclinations in yourself, just ask the kindergarten staff or grandmothers for help. They will help you teach your child to count mentally and out loud, so that in the future a real genius will grow out of him!

The ability to count in your head is a necessary skill even in our age of high technology, when a calculator is always at hand in a smartphone or other devices. Without this skill, success in school is impossible. The need for a quick count can arise at any time and in various situations, such as when visiting a store. In addition, mental counting is an important training for the brain, developing memory and intelligence. In order for the baby to be able to quickly and correctly name the result of any arithmetic operation, parents will need to study the question of how to teach a child to count in his mind.

When the child is ready to learn

Readiness for counting in the mind is formed in children by the age of 5–6 years. The predominance of visual-figurative thinking prevents preschoolers and younger students from perceiving and memorizing abstract mathematical concepts. However, children at this age have a well-developed visual memory, which allows them to quickly memorize shapes and colors. Therefore, before learning how to operate with abstract numbers, the baby must master the account with illustrative examples and get acquainted with certain concepts.

  • The kid should be able to carry out simple mathematical operations, based on practical actions with objects. If he fails to add three cars and two more, he is unlikely to be able to complete the addition “3 + 2” in his mind. In the future, the use of various counting materials, including the crumbs' own fingers, should be gradually excluded. Indeed, when counting on sticks or fingers, the mechanism of long-term memory does not turn on, which can slow down the development of mathematical abilities.
  • To master oral counting, it is necessary that the baby knows such concepts as "more" and "less", understands the composition of numbers.
  • The child must understand that even when the numbers are reversed, their meaning and the result of the action do not change. This can be explained to him, for example, using cards with numbers.
  • The kid should know that addition is the inverse operation of subtraction.

Preparation for training

Preparing a child for mental counting should be from the very beginning of learning mathematics.

  • When the baby gets acquainted with numbers, he must get used to the fact that any number denotes a group with a certain number of objects. It is necessary not only to show him what the number 3 looks like, but to demonstrate it clearly, for example, by laying out three apples or three identical toys in front of him.
  • It is useful to associate numbers with various fairy-tale characters or with specific concepts (3 pigs, 5 fingers on a hand, etc.). With the help of positive associations, the baby will form images tied to certain numbers.
  • To study numbers and their composition, you can make a box with cubes by dividing it into 10 cells (5 in each row). While learning numbers, the kid fills the required number of cells with cubes. This method will help the baby remember how many cubes are required to complete each number up to 10, which is very important for mastering mental counting.

Stages of learning

Teaching a baby to count in the mind can be divided into the following stages:

  • using visual aids;
  • using cards with numbers;
  • verbal counting aloud without the use of benefits;
  • verbal account in a whisper;
  • mind count.

You should not move on to the next stage until the child has mastered the previous one, thus bringing the skill to automatism.

Doing math in your mind

Addition and subtraction. The most difficult thing for preschool children is to understand what the composition of a number is. It is necessary, with the help of daily exercises and illustrative examples, to help the baby understand the composition of numbers from 2 to 10. The child must know and understand that, for example, eight can be obtained in several ways: 4 + 4, 3 + 5, 1 + 7, 2 + 6 .

Based on the acquired knowledge, brought to automatism, the baby will be able to perform addition and subtraction, including with the transition through a dozen. When the child learns this by saying the actions out loud, you can ask him to say the sequence in a whisper, and then to himself.

Explaining to the baby the principle of counting, the result of which are the numbers of the second ten, it is necessary to teach the baby to break the terms so that whole tens and the remainder are obtained. For example, 5 + 8 = 5 + 5 + 3 = 10 + 3.

A similar technique can be used when subtracting: 14 - 8 \u003d 14 - 4 - 4 \u003d 10 - 4. To carry out such actions, the baby must be able to count perfectly to 10.

It is better to start preparing for a score of 10 and beyond with the game “Find a Pair”. The child must learn all pairs of numbers that add up to 10. To simplify the counting, it is also worth analyzing the composition of round numbers: 30 = 10 + 10 + 10, and 5 is half of 10.

Multiplication. Not every adult is able to easily perform complex mathematical operations in his mind. But children quickly remember new information. If the child has successfully mastered addition and subtraction in the mind, you can proceed to the next stage - multiplication.

Here again, a visual aid will come to the rescue - boxes with cubes. It is necessary to explain to the baby that two boxes of 5 cubes are only 10 cubes, and 3 boxes of 5 cubes are 15, etc.

Then you can start learning the multiplication table with your child. You will have to learn it by heart, like poems. Only the lines will be examples: twice three - six, twice four - eight, etc. You can sing lines, write on paper and hang on the wall. There is no need to try to learn more than one such “poem” per lesson, at first you should limit yourself, for example, to only multiplying by two.

By repeating the multiplication table for a week, the child will remember it. Then you can proceed to the next step - start asking the baby according to the table. But do not be too zealous, for the crumbs this should be a fun game.

Division. This is the most difficult mathematical action for children's perception. It can be started only after the successful development of addition, subtraction and multiplication, as well as after memorizing the multiplication table.

When learning to divide, counting materials are used, they can be sweets or toys. For example, ask a toddler to share 6 candies between two children.

When illustrative examples become clear to the child, you can move on to "invisible" objects. For example, ask the kid to imagine that he has 6 sweets that need to be equally divided between him and two friends, count in his mind and announce the result.

A week after the concept of division was clearly demonstrated to the child, you can begin to study the multiplication table, performing the steps in reverse order (the final number is divisible by the dividend). The final stage is the verification of the material covered.

There is no consensus among teachers about the need for children to master arithmetic operations for multiplication and division even before school, it all depends on the individual abilities of the baby. If parents are sure that their child is ready for such activities, they can teach him without overloading their child with math lessons.

Exercises for developing mental counting skills

When performing these exercises, it is necessary to select numerical ranges taking into account the age of the child, and also immediately work on the mistakes, sorting them out together with the baby.

  • "Name the numbers in which ...". Ask the baby to name all the numbers from 1 to 40 that contain 2. The child visually represents all the numbers in a row in his mind and chooses those that have a deuce. Such an exercise perfectly trains the ability to visualize and the ability to work with numbers.
  • "Keep progress in mind". The child must move from 3 in steps of 2, that is, add two to three and then add 2 again to the resulting number (it turns out 5, 7, 9, etc.). The exercise sharpens the skill of addition, allows you to visualize and work out all the numbers. Then the exercise is repeated, but for subtraction.
  • Using Schulte tables. This manual is a table with randomly placed numbers, which serve to develop the speed of finding numbers in a certain order.

    You need to ask the child to find all the numbers in a certain range (for example, from 1 to 15). The exercise helps the baby to quickly navigate the numbers, working with their images in the mind.

  • illustrative examples. In order for a child to master quick counting in the mind, it is necessary to conduct training using illustrative examples everywhere - at home and on the street, inviting the child to add and subtract. If a car with the number 351 has passed, you can ask the child to quickly add up 3 + 5 + 1 in their mind and name the result.

Learning to count in the mind should always take place in the form of a game. If parents notice that the child is not coping or is not able to understand something, there is no need to insist on completing the task. In this case, it is better to try to return to simpler examples and only after a while turn to more complex ones again.

Numbers and mathematical calculations are not necessarily boring and bleak. For some reason, many, raising mathematics to the rank of "queen of all sciences", endow it with just such characteristics.

However, the world of numbers can be very exciting - you just need to find the right approach to it. And if you still haven’t found it, then with the advent of the need to teach the basics of mathematics and counting to your child, you will have to search with a vengeance.

At the very beginning of the journey, a lot depends on you, so you should not let the process take its course or teach the child inconsistently. In fact, kids love to count, the main thing is to choose a teaching method that suits you and try to convey information to the child in the simplest and most interesting, and even better, playful way.

Features of children's perception are such that the child simply does not perceive and does not remember things that are not interesting to him. You can force him to learn numbers as much as you like, but until he wants to do mathematics himself, nothing will come of your studies.

One of the most common parenting mistakes is rushing. Often adults are in a hurry to brag about the success of their baby in front of acquaintances or friends, parents of other children of the same age, who, according to them, already know how to count with might and main and even do it in their minds.

Chasing an ephemeral result to equalize your own child's abilities with someone else's children will not only not help you in learning, but will even bring harm. The best option is to start exercising with the baby when he is ready for this.

How to teach a child to count to 10?

Learning to count to ten is quite easy for a child at the age of two or three years, depending on their individual characteristics and general development.

Many mothers do math with their children without even knowing it. For example, when you show your child various playing exercises on the score, such as “Magpie-Crow”, “Patricks” or “Fingers went out for a walk” - as a rule, acquaintance with such nursery rhymes occurs before the baby is six months old.

Of course, he still does not learn numbers, as such, but on the other hand, you help him develop memory, the perception of the presence of objects and their number, contribute to the formation of figurative thinking, work to improve fine motor skills of hands and fingers.

After a year or a year and a half, using the example of toys - the same nesting dolls or any other items, the child can get acquainted with the concepts of "one-many".

At the same time, try to show him the numbers, so it's easier to teach counting in a playful way. For these purposes, various cubes, and magnets on the board, and colorful posters, and many other devices with which you can teach mathematics in a fun and interesting way, are suitable.

If you practice counting constantly, gradually increasing the number of familiar numbers, then by the age of three, the child will absolutely easily count to ten without prompts and errors.

From this video you can learn how to teach a child to count to ten, how much time is recommended for classes, what tools can be used.

Two-digit numbers: Count up to 100

At four years old, a child who has been regularly trained will be able to distinguish which number is greater and which is less, and will also know concepts such as "equal" and zero.

Be prepared for the fact that the baby may not immediately understand. Do not rush - that means, put this information aside for now and repeat it after a while. Well, if you learn while counting from ten to twenty.

There are children who grasp faster and show more pronounced abilities in mathematics - such children will be able to master counting in tens of up to a hundred and at four or five years old. If your child is a pronounced humanist, then this ability will come to him just a little later.

Some teachers advise, nevertheless, to first show the child the processes of subtraction and addition with those numbers that he operates well, that is, from zero to ten or twenty. This will greatly help in consolidating the material and in understanding the subject as such, and only then will it be possible to move on to mastering dozens and counting to one hundred.

Quick Score

  • he will remember the numbers well - he will remember them, and not just memorize them, that is, he will know their direct and reverse sequence, he will be able to recognize the number by writing, find the missing or missing number, match the written number with the same number of objects, etc .;
  • learn the basics of counting and composition of numbers;
  • will clearly separate the concepts of "greater-less-equal", "one-many";
  • will be able to count objects well and correctly, perform elementary mathematical operations with sticks, cards or other aids.

As a rule, children master the speed calculation at about five or after five years.

Counting in the mind

At the same time, it is worth gradually weaning the child from using various aids, such as sticks, for example, when counting. Also, at the age of five or six, a preschooler should already stop counting on his fingers, and switch to mental counting.

This process may take a lot of time, but your task is patience and constant regular exercises for the development of memory until the child brings the operations first with the first ten digits to automaticity.

Having mastered simple counting mechanisms in his mind, he will memorize further and further much more easily and quickly and will soon be able to solve complicated examples.

Basic rules and nuances of training

To make classes a joy for both you and your child, you should follow a few rules and recommendations from experts.

  • Patience and calm. It is this state that should become your motto in the learning process. Even if it seems to you that the information is elementary to understand, a three-year-old child may think completely differently.
  • Do not force the baby, do not yell at him and do not condemn him for mistakes - the atmosphere in the classroom should be calm and comfortable.
  • The world around you will provide a significant help in learning - just count everything around with your child: the buttons on the blouse, the dishes that you put on the table for dinner, the food you buy, toys, cars, animals and birds on a walk, steps on the way home, etc. d.
  • To conduct a lesson, it is not at all necessary to sit down at the table, as in a lesson - the child’s acquaintance with mathematics should be fun, exciting and interesting, otherwise he will get bored, become distracted and will not perceive the information that you want to convey.
  • For a small child, classes can last no more than ten minutes. You can work out with preschoolers for up to half an hour, but it is important that the child does not get tired.
  • There is an opinion that it is necessary to devote time to classes every day, constantly repeating previously covered material. If a child goes to kindergarten or to developmental classes, then this is quite realistic, but at home, parents may simply not have time for regular classes.
  • Repetition and regularity, of course, are important, but the child also has his own natural learning rhythms, for example, at some point he will be enthusiastic about counting and learning numbers with pleasure, and then suddenly his interest in this topic will subside and he will switch to anything else. Then it is better to wait a little or present the information in a different form.

Be sure to take into account all these points and study with the child not because it is necessary, but be, first of all, interested and passionate yourself - then your lessons will become a joy for the child, and from classes you both will be able to receive not only knowledge, but also positive emotions.

Learning by playing

Pay attention to the existing gaming techniques that help you quickly get to know the world of mathematics:

  • you can use cards with numbers or pictures, on which, in addition to the number itself, various objects in a certain amount will be drawn;
  • visual material is also in the form of posters or tables;
  • cubes and numbers on magnets also work well;
  • you can find educational lottos or dominoes on the topic of counting;
  • various counting material will also be useful - Cuisiner's sticks or specialized sets with fruits, geometric shapes or other objects.

How it works? In fact, it all depends on your imagination, because you can invent educational games on your own, relying on or taking as a basis already existing methodological developments.

  • Visual aids help the child visualize numbers. Show him the numbers on the poster or on the cards, let him think about what each number looks like or come up with a special image for it, for example, a two is very similar to a swimming swan, and an eight is like two bagels, which were put one on top of the other, etc. d.
  • Buy or make your own "knowledge cubes" with cards. First, the child can put the cubes in the box, counting them and choosing the appropriate card with the desired number.
  • Zaitsev's tables and cubes are very useful in this regard, since they can be used to show the baby the difference between large and small numbers, colored cubes are well suited for teaching column counting - laying out examples, the child will see that units are indicated by one color, and tens - others.

Dominoes for learning to count can be made from plasticine or quickly hardening plastic. Just make small rectangles and make indentations in them with an arrangement like domino dots. Then make small balls of different colors.

Forms can play the role of houses, cars, ships, a flying carpet or any other object in which character balls will live, play or move in different quantities:

  • let the child lay out the balls and count how much fits on each rectangle, after that you need to find and put a card with the desired number next to it;
  • close any of the rectangles with a sheet of paper and invite the child to remember how many balls were there;
  • you can play like a real domino - then you will need to make a lot of chips, and additional players can be toys, for which you will also perform moves;
  • put all the numbers from one to ten in order and fill the rectangles with balls, then let the child turn away, and someone harmful, for example, Baba Yaga, will fly in and mix everything up, and the baby will be tasked with fixing everything;
  • with the help of multi-colored bones and balls, you can learn to divide them into groups by color and number of dots;
  • show the child how the larger number differs from the smaller one, let him find bones with the same number of points.

How not to miss the moment when you can start learning math so that the child gets the score in his head, says the teacher.

Learn to count quickly and easily

A small crumb can be introduced to numbers by doing ordinary daily activities:

  • here you wash both eyes and one nose, here you wash two hands and feet;
  • here you put on two shoes, but put on one blouse;
  • then you can count your fingers - first on one pen, and then on two, accompanying the count with rhymes and nursery rhymes;
  • try to count to the child the characters of the fairy tale that you are reading at night, for example, all the inhabitants of the tower or everyone who pulled the turnip, etc .;
  • special educational cartoons and presentations can acquaint the baby well with numbers;
  • numbers can be drawn or painted, played with magnets on the board;
  • use nesting dolls, pyramid rings, mazes and other toys that may be interesting and useful to the child in teaching.

Learning to count to ten

Many methods advise starting learning to count with actions with objects, and not with numbers. That is, at first you operate only, for example, with toys: the child has one car on the table, if another one comes to it, then there will be two of them, and then a third, fourth, etc. can join them.

As already mentioned, you can practice anytime and anywhere, counting the birds on the branch, the trees along the road, and the steps in the stairs.

Then the acquaintance with the numbers themselves will begin. Remember that it will be easier for a child to visualize their images, and this can be done with the help of various visual aids.

Finger counting has always been the most traditional and easiest way to learn, but keep in mind that this way you completely prevent him from using the memory mechanism, and later you will have to wean the baby from using fingers and teach him to count in his head, and this is quite difficult.

Another way to mechanically memorize numbers and their order is to learn to count “by the line”. However, many teachers believe that with it you run the risk of weaning the child to remember and think, because such a primitive method not only trains, but also inhibits memory and mental development.

Its essence is that in order to obtain, for example, the number five, you must find the number two on the ruler and count three centimeter divisions to the right from it.

You can play digital train with your child. To do this, build his favorite toys or cars into a big train, adding one trailer at a time. Let the kid name himself: the bear is one or the first car, the bunny joins it - this is the second or second car, etc. Then the train must be disbanded and the numbers counted in reverse order.

Learning to count to one hundred

First you need to fix the numbers well and count to ten. Learn with your child various simple and funny rhymes for memorizing numbers, riddles, songs and counting rhymes. Use educational games with visual aids, look for familiar numbers on the numbers of houses and passing cars.

At each lesson, expand the range of familiar numbers. First you must explain to the child how to count from ten to twenty, and then show him the principle of counting in tens to one hundred.

Of course, he won’t learn and remember everything right away, but it’s not scary. Move gradually, periodically recalling what has already been learned and consolidating the material, return to previous topics in the context of new, more complex tasks.

Among the exercises that can be useful at this stage, it is worth noting:

  • search for "neighbors" of a number, for example, the child must name or find what numbers are before and after the five;
  • search for missing or missing digits in the chain;
  • ordering a confused series of numbers;
  • counting in both directions within each ten;
  • acquaintance with the clock and the principle of determining the time, various games on this topic;
  • familiarity with a thermometer for measuring air and the principle of its operation - a child can record temperature readings daily and compare them, etc.

We teach the child to memorize examples and the composition of numbers

If a child learns and can list numbers, this does not mean that he knows how to count, because for this he needs to learn how to determine the composition of a number and master various simple mathematical operations, such as subtraction, addition, multiplication and division.

You can introduce your baby to subtraction and addition after he confidently masters counting to ten. There is a method that is considered elementary, but not very useful for further learning.

Its essence is to show the child how to add and subtract one by one, for example, to get the number five, you add one to the three, and then one more, or even add five units altogether. Many experts do not advise stopping at this method, but believe that it is better to immediately show the child a full account.

However, in games it is quite possible to use it at first. Take at least the classics with drawn numbers in squares. Let the child jump with a bucket or basket containing small toys, perhaps plastic fruits:

  • jumping from cell to cell in order, the baby must count out loud for the time being - one plus one will be two, two plus one will be three, etc.;
  • when he calculates everything without errors from one to ten, try to jump and count in the opposite direction, already subtracting;
  • you can also lay out toys, jumping around the cells and counting them, determine which number is greater and which is less, when it turns out to be zero.

To make it easier for your child to learn addition and subtraction, solve simple problems with him using illustrative examples:

  • put a different number of sweets or cookies on two plates, let him count them and compare where there are more and where there are less, then offer him to make it even, then take a few pieces - you need to count how many are left;
  • learning the composition of numbers is also better visually, and homemade dominoes, which we have already talked about, can help you with this - children perceive bright visual images much faster, therefore, if you show on two knuckles that a five consists of either two or three balls, or from one and four (they must be multi-colored), then he will immediately remember it;
  • be sure to show the child the most elementary mathematical rule - the sum does not change from changing the places of the terms. This can be done using the same ordinary objects, for example, putting two pears on the table first, and then two apples, and then vice versa - the kid should say that the same number four is obtained;
  • imagine a large number as a house in which smaller numbers live, come up with different rhymes for better memorization, invite your child to experiment and play combinations of numbers, independently form the conditions for simple tasks.

Teaching mental counting

When a child can confidently cope with numbers and count quickly without using fingers or counting aids, then he can already be taught mental counting.

There are two essential elements in this process:

  1. Speech.

At first, your baby may loudly comment on his actions and the mathematical operations that he performs. Then he will begin to do this in a whisper until he comes to the count in his mind without saying it out loud.

  1. Motor.

Often, at first, children need to perform certain actions with objects in order to count them - rearrange, move, remove. The next step is to simply point your finger at the items being counted, and then the baby will learn to count with just his eyes.

Didactic games are very helpful in learning to count in the mind, and children also like to play in the store. You can purchase a manual called "Cashier of Numbers", operate with toy or conditional money and candy wrappers, or introduce a child to real purchases in a store.

If a child shows math abilities, introduce him to multiplication and division, the concept of even and odd numbers, and some formulas.

Learning to count in a column

When the baby learns to write numbers, he can be slowly prepared for counting in a column. To do this, you just need to show how the numbers are arranged and written with this method of counting.

The key principle of writing numbers in a column is the arrangement under each other with different digits, that is, we write units under units, tens under tens, and hundreds under hundreds. Explain to the child that this is how addition happens - from units or from right to left.

Developing knowledge requires constant practice. Don't try to get your child to memorize information. Move on to the next counting operation only when the baby remembers the previous one, that is, do not start teaching him to subtract in a column until he still knows how to add well in this way.

Visual examples in the form of didactic games, diagrams, number cards, multi-colored cubes will also come to your aid.

Conclusion

Mathematics is a rather difficult science, however, it can be fascinating and interesting if you open it to your children from this side.

Be consistent and patient, turn the learning process into an entertaining game, do not make excessive demands on your child - then everything will go much easier and faster, and very soon the baby will delight you with his new achievements and mathematical abilities.