I’ve noted this a couple of times in my older posts, and it implies here as well; from the moment a child takes their first breath to the age of 3, is when their brains develop the fastest within their lifetime.
The problems we face most of the time when we want to teach our little one new skills (like potty training, ABCs, etc.), is where and how do we start?
Numbers for toddlers should be included in the little one’s everyday life. From counting the steps we take when we carry them, count downs in time-based games (like hide-and-seek), nursery singing (like 5 little ducks), or teaching the concept of the number of ears, eyes, and nose we have, are all simple reinforcement that will be eventually met with understanding.
In regards to our little one, we made numbers a game whenever it could be involved. I’d carry the little one up the stairs (for whatever reason) and count each step, and by the end of the stairs, she’s the one ending the count. The wifey would reiterate the little one’s anatomy and how many the little one has (how many eyes, fingers, hands…). Singing along with nursery rhymes is another opportunity for number development.
The concept gradually grows and is understood a bit more each passing day. Number development is an essential foundation for logical thinking and mathematics.
Number Development
Numbers tie everything together. Numeracy is a term that isn’t used a lot, but for contrast purposes, letters to literacy are numbers to numeracy.
Applying mathematics to all categories in life is numeracy. Numeracy skills such as solving number problems, noticing patterns, sorting, measuring, arithmetic, logic, etc. are things needed in everyday life.
But we’re talking about toddlers, right? They’re too young to solve anything. They’ll learn arithmetic and logic later in life.
All are true, but the amazing thing about the youth is that they started building numeracy skills the day they were able to hear you from the womb.
At the most basic level, toddlers start to show their numeracy skills by counting their fingers, recognizing number characters from objects or books, and expressing what they want with numbers (e.g., how many cookies they want).
But numeracy is another topic for another post, this post is about numbers, and numbers are everywhere.
From how many letters in this word, or learning how many sides are in a particular shape, to the number of fingers on each hand, the concept of numbers can be brought up anywhere.
Numbers for Toddlers
When it comes to learning, there are many different ways to go about it. Each form has its validity as well as its effectiveness. Some methods impact more on specific individuals than they do on others.
1. Number Toys
Using number toys is probably the most impactful way to learn numbers.
Playing with number toys is effective. Toys are visually appealing, acoustically pleasing, and addictively engaging.
Toys can range from (but not limited to) blocks, electronics, or puzzles. Each category has its own strengths and serves a different purpose when it comes to a child’s brain development. Here are some toys we recommend:
Puzzles
Electronic toys
Toy Blocks
2. Counting
Counting can be started early, even before the little one starts talking. You can simply count steps while you carry them upstairs. Or when you play with their nose or ears, let them know how many they have.
In the beginning, they won’t know what you’re talking about. All they hear are organized noise and rhythm. At the start, they’ll mimic the sounds you’re making. Gradually they’ll make sense of what sound they’re making, and concepts start to continuously form.
When they start recognizing numbers or letters, they gradually form numeracy skills such as knowing the value of 1 vs. 2, or that 3 is more than 1, or what should come after each number (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4…).
Eventually, they start practicing numbers on their own. They begin to count the steps they take. They’ll point out how many eyes, ears, or fingers they have. They’ll ask for the number of snacks they desire (like 2 cookies instead of the 1 cookie you usually provide them).
3. Understanding
Test the little one’s understanding of numbers.
Do count downs and let them fill in the blank. Ask them what numbers come next when counting numbers sequentially.
When doing anything, e.g., playing tea time, ask how many friends are going to come? How many tea sets do we have to set?
Ask the little one, “How old are you?” They may not get it and just memorize the answer you tell them.
Ask the little one to count out the steps when going up the stairs.
Make some trivia questions in regards to their toys, e.g., How many ducks do you have? How many blocks are you playing with?
4. Books
Reading books can keep them engage while they’ll learning different things altogether.
“Goodnight Numbers” is a well-crafted book that emphasizes numbers but applies numbers to simple concepts like the number of days, the number of hands or feet, or the number of blocks shown.
It also doesn’t have to be a number book to practice numbers.
In our case, we would use various books to practice numbers, colors, and objects. Our daughter’s favorite book is “Colors.” In the book, we would practice what color is on each page, count the items for each page (for example, how many ants are on this page), and ask questions about the pages like, e.g., “Where is the fox?”
This is an excellent book as she gets to practice different skills with one book, such as colors, arithmetic, identification, and memory.
This practice can be applied in any kid’s book that you own. Short books that have a lot of graphics and very few words are great.
What we’ve done with a lot of the books we own is read the sentence, stay on the page for some time to identify what’s on the page, point out the general colors on the page, and count what ever’s there on the page (e.g., like 3 puppies, 2 kids, 5 ducks, etc.).
5. Activity With Numbers
If an entertainment element is added to whatever we’re doing, it makes the activity that much more engaging. So when we’re learning numbers, we can integrate numbers in activities.
And in regards to activities, number activities can be done indoors or outdoors.
For outside activities, here’s a small (but not limited) list:
- Draw the characters on the sidewalk and recite the numbers
- Watching from the sidewalk and count how many buses passed by (it’s a random activity, but our little one loves to do that)
- Walk around the block and count how many houses or trees you pass by
- Outline hopscotch outside with chalk and teach them how to play by following the numbers
Here’s another list for indoor activities:
- Using arts and crafts with numbers. Painting or drawing them out
- A number’s coloring book
- Playing games like hide-and-seek, have them/you count to 10
- Make up a numbers game, e.g., getting a prize for every correct answer: How many fingers am I holding up? How many eyes do you have?
6. Number Song Nursery (Listen and Sing)
If you’re using screen time or putting music in the background, you can put on nurseries that include numbers. For our little one, she’s a fan of super simple songs on YouTube. They have plenty of number nurseries (and other nurseries) that you and your little one can sing-along to.
Our little one’s favorite song is “5 Little Monkeys” it enforces numbers as well as promotes movement. She loves to jump while the music is on.
There are other songs, like “10 In The Bed” or “5 Little Ducks,” that are entertaining and promote counting.
If you don’t want to use screentime, nurseries can be streamed via Spotify or iTunes. Put the music in the background while you’re playing with them or while they’re in independent play.
When the little one listens to these nurseries enough, the little one starts to memorize the rhythm and sound. They begin to mimic, recite, and then sing along the best they can. Eventually, they’re able to sing from memory. Singing along works on different areas of numeracy.
Final Thoughts on Numbers for Toddlers
Learning takes time and patience. Depending on learning methods, it impacts kids differently as some may be more receptive to reading than singing or writing than playing.
There are plenty of options and methods that will entertain and help teach your little one numbers. Start early, and the concept will gradually be understood. Number development is crucial as it’s a basis for numeracy skills.
