Kindergarten: Counting

Give me five!

Give your child a handful of counters (small objects that are easily countable like buttons, beans, etc.) and ask them to count the items. Say, “Give me five!” and ask them to count out five counters from the total group. Then ask how many are left and guide them to count the remaining counters. Keep playing by starting with a different total number of counters in each round.

This activity teaches your child cardinality, the mathematical understanding that the last number word said when counting tells how many in all. It also lays the groundwork for early subtraction by introducing the concept of “taking away.”