Counting with Counters
Place a counter, say a number. Number becomes something you can touch.
Counting with Counters is a Montessori activity for a child aged 4 to 6 years. Area: Early Math. Time: 20 min.
What the activity builds
Match each spoken number to a single object moved, and discover even and odd quantities by seeing them.
The materials
- About twenty identical counters (buttons, game chips, chestnuts)
- Cards or slips of paper showing the numerals 1 through 10
- A mat or a tablecloth
How to do it, step by step
- Line up the cards from 1 to 10 on the mat.
- Under card 1, place one counter, saying "one."
- Under card 2, place two counters side by side, counting out loud.
- Continue up to 5, then let your child carry on alone up to 10.
- Look together: some numbers form neat pairs, others leave one counter standing alone.
The parent's role
One counter moved for one word spoken: that correspondence is what matters, far more than reciting the count up to thirty. Show once, then step back.
Safety
Counters larger than a quarter if a younger child is in the room.
You remain the sole judge of what is right for your child. These activities are offered for educational and recreational purposes: they do not replace medical advice or the guidance of an early childhood professional.
Ways to adapt the activity
- Easier: stop at 5.
- Harder: set up the counters with eyes closed, then check.
- Useful: counting the plates to put on the table.
Up next
More activities for a 4 to 6 years child.
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