Counting...

[A.Balaban]

DS is 4 and cannot count. I count for him daily, point out things for him to count and work with him using manipulatives and number worksheets. After 45-min yesterday I could not get him to count to 3. He knows his numbers, but they normally go like 'one, two, six, eight, three' I think he gets confused and starts to doubt himself.

 

So, Dh held up two fingers and DS says, 'one... I don't know what that one is' so we tell him to try.... And he asks for the answer. So, we help him and say 'two' then have him go back to one. He struggles to remember the number two.

 

He likes 'doing school' but I am having this issue teaching him to count so it makes it very frustrating and I do not want to discourage him. I do not get upset with DS, and I keep asking him to try again when he gets it wrong, but after a couple times I will give him the answer. Is that wrong?

 

I am going to tape some big numbers to the floor today and play number hopscotch.... Lets hope the kids like it.

[junepep]

Two thoughts, 45 minutes is a really long time to be working with such a small child. He might be getting stressed or frustrated, which would hamper his ability to remember. The second thought is more of a question - are you ALWAYS using manipulatives when you work with him? I wouldn't worry so much about giving him the answer as simply working with him to discover the answer for a while. He might have a disability or he might simply just not want to do it because counting is pretty darn dull or he might just be trying to initiate play with you. It's hard to tell at this age.

 

I would try this for a week or two and see how he does at the end: Hold up one object, say one, one [object]. Pick up another object that is exactly the same. Say, now I have two [objects]. Hold up the first object, say 1, hold up the second object, say 2. I have two [objects]. Can you count them with me? Say 1 then 2 several times together while moving the objects forward as you count them. You can continue this to three or five, whichever works best for you both. Just don't do it more than 2-3 times each day.

 

I say this gently, please don't spend so much time on this. According to your signature he *just* turned 4 in Jan. It is not surprising that he is unable to count at this age.

 

From Bright Start by Dr. Richard Woolfson:

Age 3.5-4yo

"Reaches the first state of genuine counting - for example, she counts a row of small blocks up to the second or third block."

 

Age 4.5-5yo

"May be able to recite numbers up to 10"

 

(There was nothing specific under learning development between 4-4.5 years old. But these are averages, with several months on both sides of "normal". He is still well within normal.)

 

I would work on counting to two or three for 5 minutes per day and just allow him to play with mathematical manipulatives and block for the rest of "math" time. Once he has up to three down you can get him to 5, and then to 10. But remember - the 4.5-5 year old MAY be able to count to 10, not every child that has just turned 5 will be able to.

 

Good Luck!

[ondreeuh]

Most 4 year olds can count to 3, so I would be concerned that something was affecting his ability here. Does he seem to have trouble focusing visually? I'm wondering if he is having a hard time tracking the things he is counting.

 

Can he recite the numbers in order?

[ajfries]

I'd really focus on counting OUTSIDE of school time. Play hide & seek. Have him gather as many rocks (or whatever) as possible and then you count them. When you're cooking together count, count, count. I would just model the heck out of it. Keep it out of school time completely for the time being if necessary. :)

[LaCEmom]

Have you looked into any of the leapfrog DVDs as a low-pressure approach? Some of them are on Netflix.

[Koerarmoca]

All my kids learned to count at the store. We always make sure there is 12 eggs, or how many bananas are in our bunch etc.

 

We also count with m&m's or other similar small candies. Let's count 4 m&m's, that's correct eat your 4, or that is not correct lets try again etc.

 

Last night I was in the ER and the bed had numbers notches to elevate the head. Dd was counting them by reading the numbers but she though "0" was the letter O then I realized that was my fault for neglecting to teach her zero.

 

I would just use teachable moments, I will often tell dd4 I need 4 potatoes from the cupboard so she has to count to 4 to give me the correct amount. If she hands me the incorrect amount I turn it into a addition/subtraction problem. Oops you gave me 3 how many more do I need to have 4 etc.

[violamama]

My son learned the numbers first, through song and chanting. Then we applied them to things out in the wild, like fingers or manipulatives. Later he really "got" the order of numbers from doing dot to dots.

 

It sounds like your guy is normal but not quite ready. My kids would have melted in frustration with a 45 minute lesson at that age.

[Walking-Iris]

Are you using hands on manipulatives, or just practicing rote counting during "school" time? Some ideas. Nursery rhymes. 12345 once I caught a fish alive. Here's the hive where are the bees? 12 Buckle my shoes. Get a nice collection of Mother Goose rhymes and read a few daily. Also look for fingerplays or jump rope rhymes (Hand Rhymes or Anna Banana are good). You don't have to jump rope, improvise another game--hopping or skipping to the rhyme There are a ton out there. Also read counting books. There are a ton to choose from. Ask your librarian for help. Just a few that come to mind that we have used; One Hundred Hungry Ants, M&M Counting Book, Each Orange Had 8 Slices, What Comes in 2s 3s and 4s, Mrs Spiders tea party, 10 Little Rubber Ducks, Dinner at the panda Palace, One Crow, Big fat Hen, Five Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, Ten Black Dots, Fish Eyes, Count!, Over in the Meadow, Ten Potatoes in a Pot, Zin Zin Zin A Violin,

 

That's basically how my children learned to count. From storytime and poetry.

 

And then you may want to just playfully (I stress playfully) count things as you play together---popsicle sticks, legos, poker chips, cars, c-rods, plastic teddy bears etc. And point out numbers in real life....how many plates for the table, pairs of socks, colors in the crayon box, cups of milk or flour for the cookies, how many cookies, and so on. Get some simple workbooks. Kumon has some beginning ones. Can he write? At 4 you can start to learn the numerals in handwriting along with counting?

 

You may also play online at redfishsoup (www.pouissonrouge.com)

[midori]

Someone had recommended Peter Rabbit's Counting Book (ISBN 978-0723244851) to me. I picked up a cheap used copy off Amazon.

 

The nice thing about the book is that it has 1-10 across the top of each spread. Then it has a scene from a Beatrix Potter book on the left-hand page, and a related number of "things" on the right-hand page... trout, bees, piglets, whatever. Then at the bottom of the page, there are ten little slider beads.

 

I'd have my little guy practice counting with the numerals at the top... he always counted from 1-10, regardless of how many "things" the page was talking about. Then we'd practice counting the pictures of things. And then I'd have him slide that number of beads.

 

He hated it when we first started (2.25 yo), but he's grown into it at some point while being 3, and now goes through it with lots of enthusiasm.

[shawthorne44]

Or games, we were playing a peaceable kingdom game last night that uses counting but not reading. The idea is you get all the little chicks back to the coop. Cooperative game. Everyone takes a turn at spinning the spinner. The spinner lands on an animal. You move the Mother Hen forward until you land on the next version of that animal and you count how many steps. Then you put that many chicks into the coop. I got it from Amazon. If you hide a few chicks, you make it easier to win.

[ammv15]

I used count to 20 songs on you tube and had them count colored squares with the numbers written on them daily . Them I had them put flashcards 1-5 then 1-10 in order. Then we moved on incrementally all the way up to 100.My ds had the same struggle but is now awesome at math. Just keep at it.

[Plink]

Learning to count requires several steps: knowing what order the number words come in, knowing that different quantities have different names, coordinating eye movement to take in different quantities, remembering number names in order, recognizing written number shapes, articulating remembered information, writing remembered information putting all these steps (and the many I forgot) together.

 

Not as obvious as it seems, huh?

 

My daughter struggled with counting for years. We finally made progress when I stopped combining tasks and focused on topics one at a time. We started with saying our numbers, over and over, until she could articulate them reliably without any mistakes. Next we added dot patterns (always the same pattern for each number, changing the dot shape is another step) and looked at them every time we said our numbers. Then we started identifying one and more than one. After that we began "counting" but with our entire bodies rather than eyes. For example, I would have her move 3 chairs from one side of the room to the other, counting aloud and arranging them in the correct dot pattern. Recounting. Returning them to their original location (not in dot pattern) and counting again. Worksheets and number symbols came much, much later.

 

Tedious, but necessary for my kid. HTH

[macmacmoo]

My kids are horrible about giving feed back. They do not do the whole "repeat after me," I feel like I'd make more progress talking to a wall. But I keep plugging along. As far as counting, I recall getting really worked up that I kept trying and trying and that DS wasn't learning anything. DH took him to the book store and reports back that DS looked out the window and started counting the cars: one through ten, clear as day. took probably another two weeks before I heard him do it.

 

I'm not very good at doing calendar time every day. Nothing fancy. Just today is the 20th. Lets count the days. It was the only time DS would count with me.