Finds Counting Boring

[ReadingMama1214]

I remember finding counting extremely boring as a child. I think once I could do it, I saw no point in doing it again.

 

I'm seeing the same in my daughter. She's 4.5 and loves numbers. This summer we made a 100 chart and she can read the numbers 1-100 and can count to 100. However, I've only heard her do it a couple of times or when singing along counting song in the car.

 

What do you do with a child who knows how to count, but doesn't seem to want to, unless on her own initiation (she'll count during play and such). During play she will count, but rarely has opportunities to go higher than 50. We have an abacus but it only goes up to 50. I'm considering buying one that goes to 100, since she will count on the abacus on her own for fun.

[Arcadia]

Since she knows how to, is there a need to make her continue counting?

 

Once my kids know how to count and skip count by 2s,3s,5s, whatever they fancy, we didn't do counting for academics. Sometimes we ask them to count in another language but that is language practice.

[Ravin]

I had an unschooler friend who made her kids count during time-out. How high they had to count, depended on age, and she'd have them change it up to skip counting, etc.

 

I hadn't thought of this in a long while; I might start doing it with my kids, esp. DS during time out.

 

Simply counting IS boring, and if she knows how, why keep doing it? Change it up, teach her skip counting by 10's, 5s, 2's etc.

[ReadingMama1214]

I had an unschooler friend who made her kids count during time-out. How high they had to count, depended on age, and she'd have them change it up to skip counting, etc.

 

I hadn't thought of this in a long while; I might start doing it with my kids, esp. DS during time out.

 

Simply counting IS boring, and if she knows how, why keep doing it? Change it up, teach her skip counting by 10's, 5s, 2's etc.

We have done counting by 10s

 

The only reason I'd want to have her practice to 100 is because she's occasionally get mixed up on what group comes next (70, 80s, etc.)

 

During time out is a good idea though. I might have her do that.

 

Do you do skip counting before counting over 100?

 

I am not clear on what math expectations are at this age. A friend was shocked that Dd could recognize numbers above 20, but I hadn't even thought it was abnormal or expected.

[Eagle]

Make a board game with her that works on the skill you want. Have something where you need to count by 10s, or have the squares be random numbers and you have to add your roll to that number (eg, square says 56 and you roll a 6. You need to move your piece by counting 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62).

 

You can start skip counting any time.

[Earthmerlin]

Count backwards (& then backwards by 2s, etc.). Count negative numbers. Talk about even/odd #s. Compare #s (which is greater,etc.). Teach tally marks (& possibly Roman numerals). Count up/down from a random # (i.e., 75). Teach # palindromes. Talk about how many digits a # has (& possibly what they represent--tens, ones, etc.). I.D. #s on flashcards--how fast can you identify 5 random number cards?; put these 5 random # cards in ascending/descending order. Teach the number line. Connect the dots (& modify new ones by connecting by 5s, etc.). Play # Bingo. Count, group, & compare objects. Have a #s 'seek & find' with the weekly supermarket flyer (or even in the grocer's). Fill in missing #s in a sequence (i.e., 21, 22, ....., 24). Have an estimation jar (under 10 objects is an appropriate starting point).

 

 

When my daughter was that age, she was enamored with numbers & constantly asked ?s about them so I had to fuel her curiosity with all these aforementioned activities (& countless others I've since forgotten). Pinterest was helpful for additional ideas. While rote counting is important, I think the more important thing is becoming comfortable with numbers & learning to manipulate them. Since #s are everywhere, get creative & have fun!

[MeaganS]

Lots of good advice. I also use apps (there are many to choose from) to help teach this and make it fun for them and not drudgery for me. That and YouTube counting/skip counting videos. But I'm in the camp of "if they can do it fluently, move on." They get plenty of practice with numbers in math that constant review isn't necessary, IMO.

 

I love the idea of making them count during punishment. 😊

[ReadingMama1214]

Thank you! These are great ideas.

 

She is fascinated by numbers. Just now she was asking what's "3 4 0 1" and I'd tell her 3401 and so on. I also started counting by 10s with her and she just took off and finished counting by 10s herself from 10-100

 

I love those ideas though. I was trying to figure out what to do after we've done counting. We do some additions and subtraction but I needed other ideas for number sense.

[Arcadia]

These are nice for readalouds though my very early readers rather read the books themselves. If you go to the library, you can find similar books in the same shelf as these books.

 

G Is for Googol: A Math Alphabet Book Hardcover – September 1, 1998

https://www.amazon.com/G-Googol-Math-Alphabet-Book/dp/1883672589

Fun with Roman Numerals Paperback – December 15, 2009

https://www.amazon.com/Fun-Roman-Numerals-David-Adler/dp/0823422550

[luuknam]

When my youngest was 3-4yo, I'd sometimes have him count how many steps it was to the playground or the library. He didn't do a good job counting actual steps (as in, he might take 1-3 steps per number), but I didn't care. I didn't make him continue btw... I encouraged him, but if he fizzled out at about 700, that was fine by me.

[Ellie]

We have done counting by 10s

 

The only reason I'd want to have her practice to 100 is because she's occasionally get mixed up on what group comes next (70, 80s, etc.)

 

During time out is a good idea though. I might have her do that.

 

Do you do skip counting before counting over 100?

 

I am not clear on what math expectations are at this age. A friend was shocked that Dd could recognize numbers above 20, but I hadn't even thought it was abnormal or expected.

 

I would expect a little person her age to get mixed up on what group comes next.

 

Counting to 100 and beyond is more typical beginning in first grade, which would be children who are 6ish.

[carriede]

This is why I start a K math program for Prek.

[ReadingMama1214]

I would expect a little person her age to get mixed up on what group comes next.

 

Counting to 100 and beyond is more typical beginning in first grade, which would be children who are 6ish.

She does really well counting by 10s and doesn't get mixed up there. I think we may work on counting by 5s and 2s and counting on and then backwards. Also what comes before and next.

 

We may send her to K at a classical school before taking her home in 1st. Mainly because I have to do an internship for school and have to do it during day time hours. Then we could homeschool 1st+

 

I was shocked that the school had on their K readiness counting to 100. Seemed a bit odd since most lists I saw work on 1-20 before K and then 20+ in K.

[luuknam]

I was shocked that the school had on their K readiness counting to 100. Seemed a bit odd since most lists I saw work on 1-20 before K and then 20+ in K.

 

I wouldn't worry about it - I bet plenty of the kids entering K at that school can't count to 100, no matter what their readiness list says. The two different schools my oldest went to for K (we moved mid-year) had counting to 60 and counting to 100 as END-of-K goals.

[ReadingMama1214]

I wouldn't worry about it - I bet plenty of the kids entering K at that school can't count to 100, no matter what their readiness list says. The two different schools my oldest went to for K (we moved mid-year) had counting to 60 and counting to 100 as END-of-K goals.

That's what I've seen on most lists as well. 100 as the end of K goal

 

I'd prefer to homeschool her, but with grad school it wouldnt really work until 1st unfortunately.

[ReadingMama1214]

This is why I start a K math program for Prek.

I agree. We will be doing K math this summer and fall even though she's in PreK according to the state cutoff

[HomeAgain]

We didn't bother with counting after they could, either.

 

For mixing up numbers, we have layered index cards.  I used a stencil to write the numbers 1-9 on each of the shortest layer, then 10-90 on the next layer, 100-900 on the layer after that....and so on.  We can sort each group, we can layer them to make big numbers, we can use them to illustrate addition and subtraction..

[Kiara.I]

 

 

I love those ideas though. I was trying to figure out what to do after we've done counting. We do some additions and subtraction but I needed other ideas for number sense.

Recognising how many without counting, up to 5.

Grouping into 5-and-whatever to recognise it up to ten.

Being able to easily read symbols of numbers, tally marks, and fingers.

Making and continuing patterns.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[ReadingMama1214]

 

Recognising how many without counting, up to 5.

Grouping into 5-and-whatever to recognise it up to ten.

Being able to easily read symbols of numbers, tally marks, and fingers.

Making and continuing patterns.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Thank for reminding me of those things. She does recognize groups of numbers up to 5. I'm not sure if she can do beyond that since we've not really worked on it.

 

We have a set of counting bears that she loves. I'll bust those out tomorrow.

[reign]

Chutes and Ladders is played on a 100s board. We have a princess one my girls liked to play on when younger. Since she likes numbers she might be inclined to play with it for extra practice.

[Eagle]

A good resource for making early math fun is the book Games For Math by Peggy Kaye:

https://www.amazon.com/Games-Math-Playful-Child-Kindergarten/dp/0394755103/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469767783&sr=8-1&keywords=Peggy+Kaye+math

 

Another one we have used a lot is Family Math:

https://www.amazon.com/Family-Math-Equals-Jean-Stenmark/dp/0912511060/ref=pd_sim_14_4?ie=UTF8&dpID=710EJ9TSQ6L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR125%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=W2TGCGVX44BQTDHTWEKB

 

Both have great ideas for making up games to practice or learn different math concepts.

[ReadingMama1214]

Chutes and Ladders is played on a 100s board. We have a princess one my girls liked to play on when younger. Since she likes numbers she might be inclined to play with it for extra practice.

Great idea! I keep meaning to grab that game. I'm going to add it to my Amazon Cart now! She loves games

[fralala]

My kids' favorite use of counting is when playing hide and seek. If I want them to count, all I have to do is offer to play with them and then beg for some extra time to hide. :)

 

Our other favorite thing to do is estimate EVERYTHING. The only way you can see who guessed the closest is by counting! And the only way your guess can come close is if you have a good sense of numbers and what they represent. (First estimate, then count out ten of the thing and allow yourselves to change your estimate based upon that, though, to account for the amount of space different objects can take up.) Oh, and we count when playing a card game (like War, or Memory, for the preschooler) to see who won. My preschooler also loves Snakes and Ladders, which is a good game for reinforcing numbers up to 100 (and also recognizing numbers up to 6 on the die),

[ReadingMama1214]

My kids' favorite use of counting is when playing hide and seek. If I want them to count, all I have to do is offer to play with them and then beg for some extra time to hide. :)

 

Our other favorite thing to do is estimate EVERYTHING. The only way you can see who guessed the closest is by counting! And the only way your guess can come close is if you have a good sense of numbers and what they represent. (First estimate, then count out ten of the thing and allow yourselves to change your estimate based upon that, though, to account for the amount of space different objects can take up.) Oh, and we count when playing a card game (like War, or Memory, for the preschooler) to see who won. My preschooler also loves Snakes and Ladders, which is a good game for reinforcing numbers up to 100 (and also recognizing numbers up to 6 on the die),

She does love hide and seek! That's a good idea.

 

We do count for card games, but we never get that high haha!

 

I'm ordering snakes and ladders. I looked at target today but don't want a character version and loved the original when I was a kid. I might look on Pinterest for games. She loves games so that's the best way to teach her things.

[Lori D.]

...This summer we made a 100 chart and she can read the numbers 1-100 and can count to 100…

...What do you do with a child who knows how to count, but doesn't seem to want to...

 

Here are some interesting things you can do with a 100 number chart (most do not involve writing):

30+ Activities for Using a 100 Number Chart

Hundreds Chart Activities

Wonders of the Number Chart

[ReadingMama1214]

Here are some interesting things you can do with a 100 number chart (most do not involve writing):

30+ Activities for Using a 100 Number Chart

Hundreds Chart Activities

Wonders of the Number Chart

Thanks! That's just what I'm looking for.

 

Semi-related question: have you taught place value (1s, 10s, 100s) at this age? She keeps writing or stating numbers such as "107" or "372" and asking what they are. I'm trying to find a simple way to teach the concept of place value to someone her age.

[Lori D.]

Thanks! That's just what I'm looking for.

 

Semi-related question: have you taught place value (1s, 10s, 100s) at this age? She keeps writing or stating numbers such as "107" or "372" and asking what they are. I'm trying to find a simple way to teach the concept of place value to someone her age.

 

We weren't doing place value until 1st grade, so no personal experience with teaching place value to a student that young. I have a hazy memory of using Dino Tracks board game, as well as Monopoly money for the many board games we owned, cusinaire rods, multi-link cubes, etc. DS#1 seemed to already innately understand the concept; DS#2 struggled with almost all math concepts for years -- I think that for some reason unique to him, playing board games with money got him over the hump of place value. ;)

 

My guess is that you will want some sort of manipulative to help visualize what's going on -- like cusienaire rods, or together make bundles of drinking straws or craft sticks for ones (individual straws), tens, and hundreds. Here's a quick YouTube video on

(using bundles of straws), and then how to make your drinking straw bundles from 7 Sisters.

 

If you use the cusienaire rods, you can use Teacher Laura's Place Value Freebie for kindergarteners. Or, if using a base-10 set, here's a nice Learning Resources lesson.

 

Here's a visual YouTube demo of

, showing ones and tens.

 

Here's a pretty fun

 music video on place value showing ones, tens and hundreds, showing how a place can have 0 to 9 in it and when you add one more, it bumps over to the next place in the place value chart.

 

My personal favorite is the visual-story method of Math-U-See, which uses the idea of

 -- MUS uses its own slightly different set of rods and base-10 blocks. (BTW, the first half of this 5-min. video I linked is about teaching one-on-one vs. classroom teaching, so you can skip to halfway in to get the actual teaching on place value. ;) ) Here is this same MUS Decimal Street teaching in a printable pdf lesson from the program.

 

Here are some miscellaneous Kinder-2nd grade worksheets, activities and games on place value.

 

Since DD likes the abacus, and if you get an abacus that goes over 100, you can do a google search for videos or worksheets to teach you how to use an abacus to teach/show place value.

Edited July 30, 2016 by Lori D.

[Arcadia]

Semi-related question: have you taught place value (1s, 10s, 100s) at this age? She keeps writing or stating numbers such as "107" or "372" and asking what they are. I'm trying to find a simple way to teach the concept of place value to someone her age.

We played with real pennies and dimes and one dollar coins. We get our kids to buy food with cash from McDonalds and farmers market food stalls.

 

However we think that our kids knew place value early because of the Chinese numeral system. We taught them how to count in Chinese the same time as they learn in English. They counted in Spanish and German as well for fun.

 

We have a cheap 12 in 1 wooden game set from Target clearance that includes a traditional snakes and ladders, parchessi/ludo, chess, checkers. The quality is so so but the clearance price made it worth getting for my family. My kids don't mind.

 

http://m.target.com/p/12-in-1-wood-game-set/-/A-16294327

[Shoes+Ships+SealingWax]

Many of the ideas above are great. You could also teach her addition & subtraction using a full abacus (100 beads). It's best of you can get one where each row changes color at the 6th bead, as groups of 5 are easier to visualize.

 

If you're not totally averse to the idea, she sounds plenty ready for a good, hands-on math curriculum. I am using RightStart with my mathy preschooler & he loves it!

[fdrinca]

I didn't see Chutes and Ladders mentioned.

[domestic_engineer]

Along the same lines as PP, let her find all the loose change in the house .... then sort .... then start counting pennies ....