Learning to count — an introduction for preschoolers

Learning to count — an introduction for preschoolers

Learning to count

Hi there! Welcome to the land of numbers. Together we are going to learn something you will use your whole life — counting. When you can count, the world around you suddenly makes more sense. You can tell how many apples you have, how many soft toys you made, how many stars are in the sky.

What are numbers?

Numbers are little marks that tell us how many things we have. When you have one toy, you say "one". When you have two, you say "two". And so on.

A digit is a written number. It looks like this: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Numbers can also be written in words: one, two, three, four, five.

How do we count?

Counting means naming things one by one and remembering which one it is. Point at each thing with your finger and say the number out loud:

one... two... three... four... five!

The last number you say is the answer — that is how many things there are.

A number line from 1 to 10

Step by step

Counting is like walking on a path. Each step is one number. You start at one and keep going:

  • one, two, three — three steps
  • one, two, three, four, five — five steps
  • and so on, all the way to ten

What you will learn

In this topic you will find short articles for you, and also one for your parents:

And once you have practised, try the Counting exercise — you will see a picture full of balls and click the right number.

So let's get started!