Counting Objects – Putting Counting Into Practice

Counting objects means putting rote counting and one-to-one correspondence together to work out exactly how many things are in a real group – a stack of blocks, a handful of coins, a row of chairs. It sounds simple, but it asks a child to do three things at once: say the next number, point to or touch the next object, and move on to a new object each time, all perfectly in step.

There is also a subtler idea hiding inside this skill, called the cardinality principle: understanding that the last number said when counting a group isn't just the label of the last item – it tells you the total number of items in the whole group. Many young children can count “1, 2, 3, 4, 5” correctly while pointing at five toys, but if then asked “so how many toys are there?” will start counting all over again, not yet realising that “5” was already the answer.

Counting a Group Accurately

Real-Life Application

• Sharing snacks: counting out enough biscuits for everyone.
• Packing a bag: checking you have all the items on a list.
• Board games: counting spaces to move a token.

Key Takeaways

Practice: Counting Objects