One More Please!

When my children were aged three, they learned how to count because we would always climb the stairs together while counting out loud. I would say, “Let’s see how many steps it will take us to walk to the bathroom. One, two, three, four, five, six steps.. Almost there! Seven, eight, nine steps.. You did it!” At other times, as we were getting ready for our afternoon snack, I would say, “Here you go, three apple slices…one, two, three.”

Number talk became a part of our daily lives. Whenever my kids take off their shoes, our conversation would go something like, “One, two, you have two shoes. One, two, you have two socks. How many feet do you have?” All these counting opportunities took place naturally—and when children experience learning the natural way, the more meaningful it becomes. 

Learning the one-to-one correspondence is a crucial skill in learning to count well. If you have been observing kids count very closely, you would notice that they frequently point to each object they wish to count in before proceeding with the next. This is the one-to-one correspondence at play, and the more of it they are exposed to, the better they get at counting. The more frequent they count using tangible objects, the more they become accustomed to verbal counting.

There are other ways to enhance your child’s concept of ‘one.’ When coloring together, you can ask your child to ‘give you one more.’ Count four crayons to give to each of you, and then ask your child to give you one crayon more. This is where you can gauge how much your child understands the concept of ‘one.’ Repeat this exercise, adding in more as you go along, until your child masters the concept.

You can also start teaching your kids the concept of more and less. Since these words illustrate quantity, start by piling objects into groups, filling one pile with more along the way. After filling both piles, ask your child which pile has more objects. To show them whether their answer is correct or wrong, start counting the objects in the pile they have chosen, followed by the other pile. If the pile they chose has 10 objects and the other one has only seven, explain to them further why 10 is more and seven is less.

You can also practice using more and less in your daily conversations to make it easier for your kids to understand. When out grocery shopping, bring your kids along and ask them to pick five apples and seven oranges. Follow up by asking which of the two fruits is more than the other. The more opportunities they have to count and compare, the better they get at identifying which is more and which is less.