Simple ways to teach your child to count. An amazingly easy way to teach a child mental counting How to explain to a child what a number is

Quite often, parents are faced with the task of teaching their child to count. It may seem that there is nothing difficult about this, but for a small child it can sometimes be very difficult to learn to count. Children, as a rule, tend to remember only what is interesting to them, so adults need to try to interest the baby first, then the process of acquiring new knowledge will be much easier.

If you present arithmetic as a dry, boring activity, it will be difficult to interest your child in it

The optimal age to start teaching a child to count

The best time to start teaching children to count is when their brains are actively developing. This usually occurs before the age of 6-7 years. It is important for parents to begin developing their child’s counting skills even before entering school.

Children at an early age, as soon as they begin to talk, show interest in counting. Parents need to maintain this interest with the help of special educational games.

Basic rules for teaching counting

If you want to teach your child to count, you must adhere to the following basic teaching rules:

1. The amount of information a child receives. Exercises should be performed three times a day, the duration of each of which should not exceed 10 minutes. In this way, the child will not become tired of the abundance of information, and interest in new knowledge will not disappear.
2. Do not repeat the material covered every day. It is better to remember it only in cases when the accumulated knowledge is required to solve more difficult tasks.
3. Do not give your child too difficult tasks. You should not scold your child if he fails to achieve the desired result. Perhaps it is actually difficult for him to cope with the task. Select tasks for your child that he can solve.
4. Consolidate the acquired knowledge in everyday life. More often, work with your child to count everything that is around: cars, birds on a tree, the number of plates on the table, buses on the road, etc.
5. Follow the order of the steps. According to psychologists, the process of acquiring new knowledge in a child consists of three stages: the adaptation stage, the stage of understanding the information received, and memorizing the material.

The most important thing is not to rush the baby. Be patient, communicate with your baby more often, compare objects when talking, talk about numbers, provide support and help in gaining knowledge.

You can teach your child to count on a walk, where you come across remarkable interesting objects

Baby teaching methods

To teach a child correct mental arithmetic, you must use the following methods:

1. Fingers. This method is one of the most popular among parents. Its essence lies in counting fingers. The method helps develop the baby’s visual memory, hand motor skills, and also promotes rapid learning to count objects.
2. Material for counting. Ideal for teaching your child to count examples. Ordinary toys or certain educational sets are suitable as materials. When choosing such a set, give preference to the brighter and more colorful ones, make sure that they are made from environmentally friendly and safe materials.
3. Educational children's books (we recommend reading:). Currently, stores offer a huge range of interesting books for the development of preschool children. Try to choose a textbook written in simple and understandable language for your child, so that in your absence he can continue to learn to count objects on his own.

Make sure your child's brain doesn't overload during activities. Too much information can tire a child and will not bring the desired result. At the beginning of classes, teach him to count examples up to 10, spend no more than 10-15 minutes on this, in the future you can work with your baby for up to 30 minutes. During each new lesson, review previously covered material.

Learning to count to 10

You can start teaching your child how to count to 10 as early as two or three years old. First, he must learn to count to 5, and then to 10. At this age, kids already know that they have two legs and that means they need to put on two socks. At 3-4 years old, you can give your child more complex tasks. The most important thing is that the child begins to understand the meaning of the words “equally”, “more”, “less”. You can give him simple examples: “Masha had three tangerines, and Katya had two. Which girl has more fruit and which girl has less?”

To make it easier for your child to master counting to 10, invite him to count his fingers. Give the baby the task of adding 2+1, let him raise one finger on his left hand and two on his right, and then count the total number of fingers raised.

The same manipulations can be carried out so that the baby learns to subtract: the child bends several fingers, and then counts the number of those remaining in the raised position. The same can be done with various objects: pencils, pens, etc.

Learning to count to 20

When your child learns to count to 10, move on to learning to count to 20. Cars on the streets are a good material for counting. On the way to kindergarten, you can offer to count their number. When your child has mastered the lesson well, try counting the cars in reverse order.

A child may find it quite difficult to add numbers from 1 to 20, so lessons should be conducted with a playful focus. For example, you can say: eight decided to add three to itself. She first took a two from a three and turned into a ten. Three became one. How much will it be if eight adds three to itself?

Your baby's brain needs daily exercise. If a child begins to practice mental arithmetic at an early age, he will have well-developed mental abilities.

Mental arithmetic training

When your child turns 5 years old, try to wean him from using counting materials, including your fingers. Let him learn mental arithmetic. If at first this helped him a lot, then in the future it will only interfere with the process of acquiring new knowledge.

After five years, children must be taught to add and subtract numbers up to 10 on an automatic machine, i.e. You need to ensure that the baby remembers the results of calculations. To achieve these goals, the use of mathematical chains helps well. Do not forget that the process of acquiring knowledge must maintain a playful nature. For large numbers there are separate techniques.

Learning to count in 1st grade

For every child there comes an important moment in life - he goes to 1st grade. This is the time when the basis of all knowledge about the future is formed. In the first grade, a child’s activity changes, but the ability to learn everything through games does not disappear. The child takes on the role of a student and develops self-organization skills. He needs to master the skills of planning his work, monitoring and evaluating his actions, communicating with peers and the teacher.

First-graders pay a lot of attention to oral work. To teach first-graders mental arithmetic and consolidate previously acquired knowledge, teachers use some methods with a playful twist:

1. Zaitsev's cube method. It is a very common gaming method, the purpose of which is to quickly learn counting. Kids gain knowledge with great interest using cubes. The essence of the method is to use several tables, with the help of which children learn to add and subtract numbers in their heads much easier and faster. This method can also be used by parents during developmental activities with their child in preschool age. The set of Zaitsev's cubes includes a teaching aid and a CD with songs, which makes the process of acquiring new knowledge very interesting and simple.
2. Glen Doman method. This method involves children learning to count using special cards with dots on them. The method allows you to develop the baby’s visual memory and the ability to count the number of objects.

Teachers may also use other methods of teaching numeracy in their practice, so it is advisable for parents to clarify in advance how the learning process will take place at school. To achieve high results, experts advise not to use different teaching methods - this may not have the best effect on the child.

The Doman technique can also be used at an early age, but during preparation for school it is especially effective

Learning to count in 2nd grade

The next important test for the child is entering second grade. Some teachers follow only the school curriculum and do not pay due attention to the learning process of their students. It turns out that the child seems to know how to add and subtract, but at the same time he is unable to understand why one number turns into another.

In mathematics, it is very important to follow the sequence of actions and regularly train your memory. Only in this case will the baby be able to confidently count two-digit numbers in his head.

If parents are faced with the problem of their child’s poor performance at school, teachers advise working with him more at home. Examples for home practice:

1. Add two-digit numbers 30+34 in your head. You can invite your child to break 34 into 30 and 4. This will make it easier for the child to perform addition. Train your visual memory as often as possible while performing everyday tasks.
2. Perform addition 40+35. Some children find it much easier to do backwards addition. To do this, you need to round the smaller number to the nearest ten: 40+40. Then simply subtract the extra part: 80-5=75.
3. Practice adding and subtracting simple examples in your head. For example: 2+3 or 2+2. Then start complicating the problems: 3+7=10, 10-2=8, 10-8=2. If your child is good at solving simple problems, then tasks with two- and three-digit numbers will not be difficult for him.
4. If your child has a rich imagination, you can invite him to count objects or animals in his mind. Each baby is individual, so parents must choose the most suitable teaching method based on its characteristics.

Mental counting will be easier for a child who is a dreamer to master, who will replace boring numbers with animals or toys.

Don’t think that the desired result will be achieved quickly, be patient. It is not as easy for a child to learn to count as it might seem at first glance.

Experts advise adhering to the following recommendations:

• During classes, monitor how the baby reacts to the learning process. If he is bored and uninterested, it is better to try another technique.
• Do not force your baby to study against his will. This way you will not achieve the desired result.
• Do not be nervous during classes and do not scold your baby.
• Regularly review the material you have already learned.
• Praise your child for every achievement.

Teaching a child to count quickly is not that difficult (we recommend reading:). Parents just need to approach this with full responsibility, show love, patience and understanding to the baby, then the result will not be long in coming.

Clinical and perinatal psychologist, graduated from the Moscow Institute of Perinatal Psychology and Reproductive Psychology and Volgograd State Medical University with a degree in clinical psychology

When entering first grade, they usually do not test a child’s ability to count. But in fact, already in the first lessons, children are faced with the need to use mathematical skills. Helping a child master the basic principles of counting before school is the task of parents.

Why teach children to count before school?

Of all the creatures living on Earth, only humans can count - this is one of the highest functions of the brain. Each of us needs mathematics in everyday life: counting money, correlating the number of guests and forks and spoons, etc. Even preschoolers are often faced with the need to use arithmetic skills: check whether the seller gave the correct change in the store, rearrange a chip in a walking game. That is, complex but very interesting science has practical use.

Another reason for early acquaintance with counting is development of a little man. At the age of 2-3 years, the baby is already able to master mathematical concepts. Moreover, the younger the child, the easier and faster the learning process. Of course, we are talking here exclusively about the game form - classes should not resemble tedious lessons. It has been proven that learning to count (especially oral) improves memory, attention, logical thinking, and develops intelligence and ingenuity. Children who can handle numbers in their minds quickly figure things out. At school they do well not only in arithmetic, but also in other subjects. Not in vain mathematics is called the queen of sciences - everything happens in this world according to its laws.

Mathematics is the science of all sciences.

Start

Start learning to count possible from two years old(sometimes even a little earlier). When dressing the baby, we count his body parts: it turns out that the baby has two arms, the same number of legs, eyes and ears, but there is only one nose. There is also one head, so you need one hat, but for two hands you definitely need two mittens. A little later it turns out that there are five fingers and toes on the hands and feet. After a while, start periodically asking your child questions - how many eyes (noses, hands, paws, tails) does the doll (bear, bunny, etc.) have? You can count anything with your child.- steps, flowers in a picture in a book, buttons, pieces of food in a plate, pebbles, birds, etc. And this should be done always and everywhere: while walking, while washing dishes, setting the table, dressing, bathing, playing. And rhymes, counting rhymes and jokes will help you remember the sequence of the number series. But a child should not mindlessly memorize and say: one-two-three-four... The child should know that “three” is not just a word, it’s three objects. And be sure to read the fairy tale “The Little Goat Who Could Count to 10” to your child.

The little goat who counted everyone.

Getting to know the numbers

If a two-year-old is not yet capable of abstract thinking, then children of 3-4 years are already quite ready to get acquainted with numbers - signs indicating quantity. To do this, you will need cards with their images or figures made of cardboard, wood, plastic, etc.

We take 3 cubes (cars, dolls, sticks) and put the number 3 next to them. We take 5 toys and put the number 5 next to them, clearly pronouncing each action. Then it’s the young student’s turn. Now the parent just lays out a certain number of items, and the child independently finds a card with the required number.

Making numbers from plasticine is also possible.

By the way, from about 4 years old a child can already be “trained” in counting backwards. To prevent the lesson from being boring, play out the actions: for example, count down the seconds remaining until the rocket launches. This important skill prepares the child for the next stage - mastering subtraction. Well, and, of course, attention and memory develop during the learning process.

A few words about methods

There are original methods for teaching preschoolers numeracy skills - programs by Nikitin and Zaitsev, Montessori and Doman and many other famous people who have devoted their lives to the study of early development. You can, of course, concentrate on one thing. But, as practice shows, each technique has not only advantages, but also disadvantages.

For example, a popular Doman method of teaching counting involves showing the child cards with large bright dots (2 cm in diameter). To begin with, use cards on which the number of dots does not exceed 5. Later, the number of objects reaches 20, then up to 100. An adult simply demonstrates the material to the young mathematician and clearly tells him the number. Soon the child will accurately answer the question “How much?” without even counting the dots. At the same time, it will not be difficult for him to distinguish between cards with 19 and 20 circles. The baby very quickly learns to visually perceive quantity. We adults who were not given the opportunity to learn like this as children can hardly imagine what it’s like. Then it’s time to show the child a combination of sheets: for example, take material with 10 and 2 dots, the action is pronounced: “10 plus 2 equals 12.”

Doman cards.

Judging by the reviews, Children learn mental math very quickly. They can easily handle addition of two-digit numbers mentally. But the technique does not affect other important mathematical concepts - wider-narrower, higher-lower, longer-shorter, etc. It simply teaches you to count automatically - neither logic nor intelligence develops. The child becomes like a “walking calculator” who cannot independently figure out how to use his skills in practice, but willingly answers adults’ questions. The situation is the same with other methods - in Montessori programs no attention is paid at all to the development of the right hemisphere, Zaitsev's method quickly teaches counting, but does not contribute to the improvement of fine motor skills necessary for writing, in the Nikitin system creativity and speech development are bypassed. Therefore, there is another option - selective use of visual material, ideas, rules and games of several programs.

Each child is individual, and only parents know the developmental characteristics and interests of their child. Using publicly available information, any An adult is quite capable of creating a unique “program” for teaching mathematics for his own child.

Operating with numbers

Once your child has learned to count at least within five, begin introducing addition and subtraction. Here, of course, one cannot do without visual material - objects that are identical and differ in some respects. Ready-made kits are easy to find in the store, but also Making manuals yourself is not that difficult.

One plus three equals four.

An elementary way: cut out pictures from books and magazines and paste them on thick cardboard. However, in every child’s household today there are toys that can serve as counting material - cubes, pyramid rings, sticks, Kinder Surprise figures, small cars, etc.

Pencils will also work. This is number three.

Take, for example, a cube and say: "One". Then we place another cube on it and say: "Plus one equals two." In the same way, show your child examples of subtraction. Don’t be afraid to use the concepts “+”, “-”, “=”. You can explain their meaning to a child, but this is not necessary: ​​it is enough to provide children with facts, and born researchers themselves will very quickly deduce the pattern. Also, do not forget about the concepts of “more-less” and their notations “>” and “<». Освоить новый материал помогут игрушки. Например, накройте стол для 5-ти гостей - плюшевых зверей. Расставьте 4 тарелки и обратите внимание крохи на то, что одному гостю блюда не хватило. Это значит, что посуды меньше, а зверей больше. Добавляем одну тарелку - и вот уже предметов стало поровну. Другой простой наглядный вариант - нарисовать на большом листе бумаги цветок с 6-ю лепестками и вырезать из картона такое же количество бабочек. Сначала вручаем малышу, например, 4 бабочки и просим рассадить их на лепестки. Ребёнок видит, что два из них осталось незанятыми. Проговариваем: "4 is less than 6" and then add: "For two."

Learning by playing

Preschoolers learn only through play. Children learn well only what is truly interesting to them. And the authors of early development methods understand this very well.

Training according to the program of Sergey Polyakova.

For example, in Sergei Polyakov’s program there is a game that allows children to quickly master mental calculation and comprehend the composition of numbers. 5 cubes are laid out in a row in front of the child (it is recommended to start with a smaller number). Then the adult takes 2 cubes in his hand and hides it behind his back. Three objects remain in front of the baby, and he must answer the question: “How many cubes are hidden in your hand?” At the same time, the author of the technique warns against counting objects with your fingers (which is exactly how adults usually teach children) - everything should happen in the mind, visually. Little ones very quickly remember what 5 cubes look like and what 3 cubes look like. And now a few more games that can interest a child in counting:

• Shop- all the kids will be happy to join in the process; parents are required to prepare - making money cards with numbers.
• Claps- cards with numbers face down are laid out in front of the child; The baby opens the card, sees the sign and must clap his hands that number of times.
• Numerical neighbors- more often ask your child to name a number that lives, for example, between 5 and 7, 4 and 6, etc.
• Walking games- those where you first throw the dice, and then make the required number of moves; For very young children, you can make a similar game yourself by gluing a cube where the number of dots on the faces does not exceed 3.
• Children's domino- not simple, with dots or pictures, but special: on some halves of the chips there are numbers, on the other there are images of fruits, vegetables and other objects; With the help of such a manual, children learn to correlate the number of things with signs.
• Help in the kitchen:“How many people will be having lunch? Let's count: mom, dad, Katya and you. How many plates do you need? Get the required number of spoons and forks!”
• Lay out the coins: Invite your child to sort the coins by value.
• Put them in order: Ask your child to arrange the number cards in increasing order.
• Missing cards: an adult lays out a series of cards with numbers, deliberately omitting some elements of the number series; The child is asked to fill in the gaps.
• Extra items: cut out pictures from books and magazines with images of the same topic, add to them several unrelated clippings and invite the child to find the extra objects and count them.
• Reading fairy tales- after reading the next fairy tale together, ask your child to remember and count the number of positive (negative) characters, the number of friends (enemies) of the main character.

There are many ways to get people interested in mathematics and teach counting. Ideas are all around us – we just have to look closely.

When a baby grows out of diapers and begins to run, talk and be interested in everything, loving parents think about how to teach their child to count. These skills are very useful for a little person, and the sooner he masters them, the better it will be.
Next, we’ll talk about how to introduce your baby to numbers and numbers up to 100.

When should you teach your child to count?

No one can name the exact dates, but it has been scientifically proven that at 2-3 years a child has the strongest need for new knowledge and obtaining information. Now the baby is ready to learn everything, he absorbs knowledge like a sponge, reaches out to the unknown and generally provides an ideal soil for cultivating certain abilities.

That is why it is better to start introducing numbers to your child between the ages of two and three. However, you can do this earlier. Already at the age of one, children are able to understand that one and two are different things, although they are not yet able to fully understand the quantitative states of objects.

How to teach counting to 10?

Counting to 10 is the main task that a parent of a small child needs to set. But it can be difficult for a baby to master 10 numbers at once, so first teach your baby to count to 5.

To do this, you can resort to the following methods, which are easy to implement at home.

• There are five fingers on the hand - starting from this, introduce the little one to the “names” of the numbers.
• Show cards with objects depicted on them (from one to five) - remember, it is better not to show the image of the numbers themselves to the baby for now.
• Educational cartoons and programs - they can be found on the Internet.
• Abacus and other educational toys.
• Poems and nursery rhymes.
• Counting in everyday life.

It’s very good if you introduce your baby to household chores while teaching him to count. For example, you can instruct your little one to wash five cups. At the same time, ask your child to count: one cup, two cups. Or before going to the store, ask your child to remember five items from the grocery list. Your child should remind you of what you need to buy. At the same time, you can bend your fingers so as not to lose count. This will allow both to teach the child to count in his head and to take care of the development of his memory.

Exercises with cards will be useful. Such manuals are sold in all bookstores and online stores for children. First, show the cards sequentially, then alternate - let the child answer how many objects are shown on the card (remember that we are not teaching writing numbers yet!)

But try not to bore your child with your “math.” Do everything unobtrusively and easily, in a playful way, so that your child does not prematurely feel like a student in a school class.

This activity is similar to when you want to teach a child to read syllables and gradually introduce him to letters and sounds. Take your time and make sure your child has thoroughly mastered the information before moving on to the next stage of learning.

How to teach a child to write numbers?

After the first 10 numbers have been learned, you can show your child how to write them. It’s better not to overload your baby’s memory and study one written number a day.

Dedicate your whole day to digital:

• write it on a piece of paper and hang it in a visible place;
• Together with your child, fashion a number out of plasticine;
• watch a program that talks about this figure;
• Give examples using a calendar. For example, “On the 2nd we will go to grandma.”

Such a simple and everyday object as a watch will help your child write numbers. The child has probably seen it many times, so the numbers on the dial will not be new to him.

How to teach counting to 20?

The next stage of a child's mathematical education at home will be counting to 20. You should start classes only when the baby has already mastered the numbers from 1 to 9 and the number 10 well.

1. Explain that each subsequent number (beyond 10) will consist of two digits. In other words, each number is divided into tens and ones. The first digit is tens, the second is units.
2. Use two boxes. Place ten objects (balls, cubes, etc.) in one and one (2, 3, 4) in the other; this visual example will help the baby understand what’s what.
3. Say that all the numbers in the ones position come one after another, that is, after 11 comes 12, then 13, 14, etc.
4. When your child understands the essence of counting to 20, you can give him a small task. For example, ask your child to put 16 sweets (candies, balls) into an empty box. In this case, the baby must count out loud.

How to teach counting to 100?

By the age of 4-5, when the baby is already counting from 1 to 20, you can introduce him to numbers up to 100. This requires some patience and time; learning to count is a rather long and labor-intensive process.

1. First of all, tell us that there are 9 tens in the number series up to 100. Name the numbers - 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90. But make a reservation that between these numbers there are still units, that is, these the numbers don't go one after another.
2. After this short overview lesson, encourage your child to learn 10 new numbers per day. Start with the third ten (21, 22, 23...). Before going to bed, ask your baby to tell you what he has learned. At the same time, you can repeat the material covered by counting any objects.
3. When your child has learned several dozen numbers, play a game with him: show him a number line with a missing number in the middle. The kid must find and insert the lost element.
4. Praise your child for correct answers and rejoice at his success. Motivate your child to learn.

How to teach addition and subtraction?

Basic operations such as addition and subtraction will be useful to your child even before school. The ability to count objects in everyday life will give the baby self-confidence and also give impetus to the development of intelligence. But where to start?

First of all, remember - no math lessons! Just a game and an interesting pastime.

1. Prepare visual materials: apples, candies, cubes - something that will be interesting for your baby to operate with.
2. First, parse a prime number (for example, 3). You can get a total of 3 by adding two candies and one. Ask your child to show how much he understands the explanation.
3. Continue adding until your child understands what's what, and only then move on to subtraction.

- useful to know and pronounce from early childhood. In addition to knowing how to count, they perfectly train a child’s memory. The more unusual the plot of the counting rhyme, the faster it is remembered by the kids. On the site you can find counting rhymes for learning to count to five and to ten, I hope your children will like the online counting rhymes with professional voice acting.

Counting books on-line

Hen	Tiger
	Download

Kittens	Crows
Download	Download

Counting books for children - counting to 5

One, two - blue!
Three, four - the sun in the world!
Five, six - there is a river!


E. Blagina

***
One two three four five!
We're going to play!
A magpie flew to us
And I told you to drive!

***
Sheep were walking along the road
My feet got wet in a puddle.
One two three four five
Let's wipe our feet!
Some with a handkerchief, some with a rag,
Who has a holey mitten!

***
One two three four five!
I learned to count!
Kolka extended his hand to me:
“Count how many fingers there are!”
What is there not to count:
"One two three four five!"

***
One two three four five!
The bunny went out for a walk.
Suddenly the hunter runs out,
He shoots straight at the bunny.
Bang bang, didn't hit!
The gray bunny ran away!

***
One two three four!
There were mice living in the apartment!
They drank tea and broke cups!
They paid three pieces of money.

***
One two three four!
Who lives in our apartment?
Dad, mom, brother, sister,
Cat Murka, two kittens
My puppy, cricket and me.
That's my whole family!
One two three four five!
I'll start counting everyone again!

***
One two three four five!
We can't count our friends!
Life is hard without a friend!
Take care of each other!

***
Cockerel, cockerel!
Show me your skin!
The casing is on fire
How many isthmuses are there on it?
One two three four five!
It's impossible to count!

***
One two three four five!
The tiger came out for a walk!
He's walking down the street
Doesn't bother anyone!
But for some reason from the tiger
People are running away!
E. Uspensky

***
One two three four five!
Let's count fingers
- Strong, friendly,
Everyone is so necessary!
On the other hand again:
One two three four five!
Fingers are fast
At least not very clean!
Z. Alexandrova

***
One two three four five!
We need to count the spoons!
One two three four five!
We need to count the forks!
Spoons, forks, spoons, forks...
Sawdust is rustling in my head!
E. Karganova

***
One two three four five!
I can count everything:
And the sled on the mountain,
And strollers in the yard,
And girls and boys,
Their sisters and brothers,
And grocery store counters,
And windows in our house!
M. Plyatskovsky

Counting books for children - counting to 10.

One, two - blue!
Three, four - the sun in the world!
Five, six - there is a river!
Seven, eight - let's take off our shirts!
Nine, ten - we tan for a whole month!

***
I decided to count crows:
One two three four five,
Six is ​​a crow on a post,
Seven is a crow on a trumpet,
Eight - sat on the poster,
Nine - feeds the crows...
Well, ten is a daw.
That's the end of the counting!
A. Usachev

***
The fox has a housewarming party
Fun awaits guests in the forest.
The first guest found out about this
And a raccoon came with a bouquet.

Wolf with godfather's fox:
“My gift is me!”
The wolf wanted to come first
Yes, I was delayed on the way.
"Here's a feast for you
Am I really second?

The third one is a mischievous bunny
Carrying a teapot
The fox will be happy -
She needs to treat guests.
The tea will be brewed strong and minty
Very tasty, aromatic.

Who is our fourth guest?
Aunt Mouse will come now.
“I was at the fair,
Brought a book of fairy tales
Read to the kids at night
The children will sleep better"

The fifth guest stomped the bear
Very small Toptyzhka.
What about the gift? What's the question?
The bear brought sweet honey.

Prickly hedgehog – sixth guest
- I ran into a thick forest.
I picked a few mushrooms there
And he brought the fox a basket.

The gray donkey is the seventh guest
Returns home.
He was thoughtful in the morning
And I forgot the gift.
At home, right at the door:
“I’ll run after him quickly!”

The eighth guest goes to the fox
- A very important red cat.
The cat brings her a samovar,
Which sparkles like heat.
“Meet the guest little fox
Pour some stronger tea!”

And the ninth ball is a dog,
He brought the accordion to the fox.
“Hello little fox-sister,
Isn't it time for us to make peace?
- We barked yesterday
At the owner's yard.
You came to our chicken coop,
Well, I’m the owner’s guard!”

Meet the tenth guest,
This is a striped tiger.
He promised not to bite
Don't rush at the animals
The fox has a housewarming party.
Let's let the tiger have fun?
M. Manakova.

***
It's not easy to count chickens
- The chicken has ten of them:
This one got into the basin - once.
And the other one climbed into the firewood - two.
Don't take the frog in your beak, three!
The fourth one jumped into the hole -
He wants to kill his mother!
He tries to get into the puddle again - five!
I was about to crawl under the porch - six!
Where-where! Don't climb the hill...
Seven - I'll give him a spanking!
Eight - jumped into the kennel...
No, by God, I'm going to die!
Where is the ninth? Quickly throw it!
- This is not a worm, but a nail!
Here's the tenth one. He is good...
Wait, where? Don't get into the galoshes!
Wait! Where to where?
They fled in all directions...
I just counted everyone -
Start counting again!
A. Usachev

***
Once - the referee blows his whistle
Two – the athlete with the ball is standing
Three - we mow the sedge with an oblique.
At four, we carry hay.
Five - the gate in the garden creaks.
Six - on the leaves of the snail.
Seven - the grasshopper fell silent in the bushes.
Eight - the shepherd was tending the sheep.
Nine - evening comes
Ten - Sasha falls asleep.

***
Once, the bus brought us.
Two - Barbos was gnawing on a bone.
Three – Sveta has a jump rope.
At four, the jackdaw jumps.
Five - the badger spreads straw.
Six - the neighbor sows beets.
Seven – the dog drinks from a bowl.
Eight - pussy eats sausages.
Nine - the sun sets.
Ten - the groundhog goes to bed.

***
Once - the baby elephant builds a bridge.
Two - owls have a short tail.
Three - the donkey picked a flower.
For four - ate a flower
Five - the woodpecker has a sharp nose.
Six - the weed was growing in the flowerbed.
Seven - the fox is sitting in the forest.
Eight – juice is poured into a glass.
Nine - it will soon be quiet.
Ten - Tanya had a dream.

***
Once - the bell rings in the hallway.
Two - Seryozha came to see me.
Three - I asked a riddle.
I guessed four.
Five - Zina has a hairpin.
Six - the snake crawls towards the basket.
Seven - the bunny is gnawing on a carrot.
Eight – the hostess is angry here.
Nine - sunset is approaching
Ten - the boys are called to bed.

***
Once - the cat scratches.
Two - the acacia is blooming.
Three - the chicken has an egg.
Four - my face.
Five - the princess on the porch.
Six - blush on the face.
Seven - the palace is large.
Eight - the king sits in the center.
Nine - a messenger comes to us with a letter.
Ten - the fairy tale ends here.

***
Once - a mouse rustles in the closet.
Two - a frog in the tubs.
Three - the jackal went into the reeds.
And four - there is a mouse in a hat.
Five - let's write "bump" in school.
Six - the monkey is naughty, rustling.
Seven - our cat is on the roof.
Eight - a bumblebee flew into the window.
Nine – a seamstress is sewing a hat.
Ten - I walked along the sleepers.

***
One - two girlfriends whispered.
Two - a cuckoo at the edge.
Three - I carry toys into the hut.
At four, I wash my ears.
Five - bought Dasha checkers
Six - eat millet porridge.
Seven - there are three potatoes in the basket.
Eight - crumbs on the palm.
Nine - we darn the shoe.
Ten - take a wider step

***
Once - the puppy chews the clothespin.
Two - the bloodhound is looking for a sliver.
Three - put the sorrel in the cabbage soup.
At four, the mouse squeaks.
Five - the goldfinch chirps in the thicket.
Six - I clean the children's raincoat.
Seven - we caught bream.
Eight – vegetable borscht.
Nine - the racer walked to the square.
Ten - things are dragged by a horse.

***
Once - the cat lapped milk.
Two - the deer are far away.
Three - put the noodles in bowls.
For four, we took spoons.
Five - Oleg broke the glass.
Six - the broth in the cauldron has cooled.
Seven – there aren’t enough pins in the shop.
Eight – lay down a blanket.
Nine - the firecracker went off.
Ten - the frog croaked.

***
One - Volodya was going to school.
Two - the ox pulled the cart.
Three - the wolf tied the knot.
At four - untied.
Five - there was a white bun.
Six - a ball fell under the chair.
Seven - the horse ran.
Eight - the squirrel jumped.
Nine - falcon in the clouds.
Ten - bees in the meadows.

***
One - carrots in the garden.
Two - Yegor is building a fence.
Three - a steamer at sea.
Four is a fast move.
Five - a crow is on the doorstep.
Six - nettles along the road.
Seven - I draw a still life.
Eight – cutting a sandwich.
Nine - the mole digs a hole.
Ten beetles are gnawing on the bark.

***
Once - in the trough there is food for the pig.
Two - let's quickly pick some parsley.
Three - fry the potatoes together.
For four – cook the fish.
Five – snowdrifts in the yard.
Six – wood is burning in the fire.
Seven - thunder rumbles in a thunderstorm.
Eight - Roma is building a house.
Nine - loading the truck.
Ten - the boletus has grown.

It would seem that there is nothing complicated in counting, but kids completely refuse to understand why after ten there is eleven, and after twenty there is twenty-one. They switch numbers or skip them altogether, driving their parents to despair. “It seems like he’s not a stupid boy, but he can’t understand such little things! What will happen next?

The thing is that a baby’s memory is very selective. Children learn only those things that interest them, delight them, surprise them, or somehow frighten them. It is unlikely that they will quickly remember something that they consider uninteresting, even if adults insist on it. Therefore, parents need to interest the baby so that he himself wants to count. In this case, little fidgets won’t even notice how easy it is to count.

Linguists have long noticed that when learning languages, people most easily master numerals. If learning writing and the alphabet requires special conditions, then learning to count does not require sitting at a table with a pencil and a book. You can count everywhere: at home, in transport, while walking.

How to teach counting to 10?

The child is already two years old, which means it’s time to start learning to count. First, teach him to count to five. While walking, study the number of trees, children on the playground, entrances to the house, cars. Absolutely everything can be counted. When dressing your baby, draw his attention to the fact that there are only one tights, and always two socks, one hat, two boots, and so on. When returning from a walk, be sure to look through all the shoes in the hallway. Let your son or daughter think for themselves about how many people can wear four shoes.

When reading a book, do not skip the illustrations. Let the child tell you the number of drawn balls, puppies, kittens, and so on. Also remember that good poems for teaching counting are small poems with rhymes.

Among other things, the baby must realize that he learns to count for a reason - he benefits from it. Thus, he now knows how to divide the candies equally. When setting the table, ask your child for help, let him give you a certain number of spoons, because this number of people will be dining, and not vice versa, for example: “There will be four people for lunch, because there are four spoons on the table.”

Before you go to the store, tell your child: We need to buy so many things... Remember: onions, beets, carrots, potatoes, bread - only five purchases. Remind me, please, otherwise I might forget something.” When listing purchases, bend your fingers, and then ask your child to repeat the list. When shopping in a store, if your child forgets to tell you what to buy, ask him yourself: “Do you by any chance remember what we need to buy?” After your purchases are made, be sure to count them. If suddenly something is missing, check everything with your child again. The baby, realizing that his mother cannot cope without him, will try to concentrate, and thereby train his counting skills and auditory memory. If your child remembers the entire shopping list, be sure to praise him. Next time the task needs to be made more difficult.

Playing shop will help strengthen counting skills. It will be easier to play with kids without money. Three-year-olds, by the way, are more interested in the payment process. At the same time, you can play without using real money, but using “family currency”: candies, candy wrappers or buttons. You can reward the “clever guy” for correct calculations. For example, invite him to divide five sweets among three people, and let him keep the extra ones.

Digital alphabet

If your child has learned to count, you can proceed directly to learning numbers. Usually, kids simply memorize numbers from one to ten. The main thing is that the baby understands that the numbers indicate the number of certain items. Whether it is three kittens, three apples or three balls, it is always indicated by one number. Kids really like magnetic numbers and various “Velcro books” that are attached to the refrigerator, tiles or to a special board. If the child always has numbers in front of his eyes, he will learn them even without his noticing.

When the baby learns the numbers from one to ten, then introduce the concept of “zero”. To do this, you can invite your child to count what is not there. “If we have candies, then we can count them, and if we ate all the candies and there is nothing left, then we have “zero candies.” The word “zero” means that “there is nothing.”

Older children (four to five years old) can be taught how numbers are formed. Place ten counting sticks in a row - in ancient times ten was called "twenty" for short. Place one stick on top (preferably it should be a different color). Thus, “one” by “twenty” becomes “eleven”. Add one stick at a time to the top row and gradually reach twenty. Then explain the formation of tens: two tens is “twenty”, and three tens is “thirty”, etc.

The exception is the number forty, which in ancient times meant “very many” and ninety, meaning “nine to a hundred.”

How to teach counting from one to one hundred?

When teaching your child to count objects from one to one hundred, you don’t need to require instant memorization. It is best to move step by step, for example, increasing your knowledge by ten every week. The next day, before starting to study new numbers, you should repeat what was covered yesterday. You can move on only if he has mastered the previous material well. In this way, he will gradually learn to count from one to one hundred. It is necessary to remember that the baby must understand the count, and not memorize it. Mathematics is based on finding patterns and understanding. The child needs to figure out exactly what principle the numbers are arranged in this way and not otherwise.

Reinforcing the material you have learned, offer your preschooler the following task:

What number is before the numbers 5;9;21;46;85;100.

Name the number after the numbers: 8;16;26;57;82;99.

Name the number between numbers 5 and 7; 11 and 13; 45 and 47.

Find the missing number: 5,6,7,9,10.

If counting to one hundred is not difficult for your child, then you can start learning how to count backwards. It is best demonstrated on the fingers, bending them, or on counting sticks. It's worth starting with five. Here, a lot depends on the characteristics of the baby, namely on what kind of thinking he has better developed: imagination or spatial thinking. It happens that a baby easily makes quite complex mathematical calculations, but counting backwards turns out to be difficult for him. Don't push! Show him the countdown with visual examples, for example, when going down in an elevator.

Applied Mathematics

These days, first graders can use a computer and a calculator, but they have a hard time doing mental math. The brain, just like muscles, needs regular training. And mental arithmetic, studied from early childhood, is good for the development of mental abilities.

Some parents are sure that their children, especially those under 5 years old, are not yet ready to engage in mental arithmetic. But readiness for mathematical studies does not just suddenly appear, it is formed. If such readiness is not developed, then it may not even manifest itself by the age of ten. Already from the age of three, along with numbers, you can teach your child the first lessons in mathematics. You will be convinced that the results will exceed all your expectations.

You should explain to your daughter or son what “more or less” means. While reading a book, draw your child's attention to the drawing. Invite him to count the images on it: flowers, butterflies, and so on. For example, is there enough flower for each butterfly? Who are more present here: flowers or butterflies? When playing dice, be sure to count them. Let the child demonstrate which cubes are more numerous: small or large, yellow or red, wooden or plastic. At first, it may be difficult for a child to distinguish between concepts such as “a small cube and a large one” and “which cubes are there more,” but there is nothing to worry about.

Main training

To explain to your child the concept of “equally,” use examples such as: “Lena has two dolls and Masha also has two. Who has more dolls? No one has! Because there are equal numbers of them.” Invite your child to divide four apples equally among two people, six among three, and so on. Then move on to simple logic problems. For example, there are four squirrels sitting on a branch, each with one nut. How many nuts are there in total?

Has everything started to work out? It's time to start mastering basic mathematical operations: minus, plus, equal. “You have two apples, they gave you another one. Thus, we got three apples.” It is better to learn to count to 10 on your fingers - it is also useful gymnastics. To add two and four, you need to raise two fingers on one hand and four on the other and count how many fingers are “open” in total. The same can be done with candy, toys and counting sticks. It is useless to insist that the child simply remember that five plus three equals eight. The child needs to understand the mechanism of counting: first, he needs to find out how much there was, then how much was added, and then how much became. Explain subtraction in the same way: we calculate how much there was, then how much needs to be subtracted, then how much is left. Here you need to remember the following: when adding, you always get more than it was, and when subtracting, on the contrary, it becomes less.

Explain to your child that no matter what order he puts the objects in, the result will be the same. For example, if you first put three apples on the table, then two more pears, then there will be five fruits on the table. And if you first put two pears, and then two apples, you will still get five fruits. With this you will explain to your child the primary law of addition: “The sum does not change by changing the places of the terms.”

Today there is a large selection of manuals and books on early childhood development on sale. However, before purchasing them for your baby, study them yourself very carefully. You should avoid examples that contain phrases such as “try to guess how much you get” or “determine without counting.” Because this is a flawed approach to math classes. Mathematics, as we know, is an exact science; it does not guess, but calculates. You cannot teach children to count using questions such as “guess”, “guess”, since they have ambiguous answers and the child may think that the correct answer can simply be guessed and not calculated.

Often, parents of first-graders complain that their children have a humanitarian mindset and lack the ability to do mathematics. However, to do mathematics you do not need to have special abilities. Mathematical calculations themselves help to increase mental abilities, develop memory, ingenuity, and help develop logical thinking. The sooner you start training your baby’s brain using mathematical calculations, the faster your efforts will bring good results.