When do children start counting to 10? (2024)

February 12, 2022Counting to 10 is an important developmental milestone that many parents look forward to. But at what point should your child start learning numbers and when should they be able to count to 10?

In this article

  • When will my toddler learn to count to 10?
  • When do children understand the basic concepts of mathematics?
  • 9 early math games for kids learning to count to 10
    • 1.Speech Blubs' 'Awesome Numbers' en 'Numbers and Me'-gedeelte
    • 2. Coin counting game
    • 3. Magnetic fishing game
    • 4. Songs about numbers
    • 5. Be active while you count

When will my toddler learn to count to 10?

Math is all around us, and from the moment children start exploring the world, they are learning. As they areidentify shapes, recognize patterns or predict events, these are all mathematical concepts that develop as a child grows older. But at what age do children start to understand numbers?

The truth is that children will recite numbers before they actually understand the concept behind them. Although every child is different, most toddlers can count to 10 by the time they are two years old. At this point they are probably repeating them largely by heart and have not yet understood what they really mean.

This concept is known as"rote" counting. Rote counting allows a child to say numbers in the correct order, and this is usually learned by hearing the numbers said aloud repeatedly by others.

Do you think your child should count now?

Take thisfree groundbreaking 3 minute quiz. You will find out whether your child is on track with their milestones and receive a free report with a personalized learning plan. Speech Blubs is packed with activities to promote speech development!

When counting to 10 by heart, children can quote numbers in succession or jump randomly from number to number. The more they hear others count, the more confident they become in reciting the correct number sequences.

Remark:Don't panic if your child can't count to 10 at age 2. This is the average age at which children learn to count, but it is certainly not definitive.

All children learn at their own pace and some children learn faster than others. You can help your child learn numbers by working with them regularly and participating in math activities for toddlers.

When do children start counting to 10? (1)

When do children understand the basic concepts of mathematics?

We mentioned above that while most toddlers can quote their numbers by 2, they don't necessarily understand the concept behind it. ChildrenHe doesn't really start to understand the concepts of counting until he's between 2 and 4 years old.

The first sign that your child is beginning to understand the concept behind numbers is with a skill known asone-on-one correspondence. You will see this often while playing. In one-to-one correspondence, children begin to group objects and point to each object as they count them. Again, this mathematical skill is often learned by copying others.

The next step is to understand what these numbers represent. For example, if you count "one", "two", "three" cars, then there are a total of three cars in that group.

As children begin to understand this concept,the next step is to match numbers to their written numbers. Most children can begin to understand this combination after infancy or 3-4 years of age.

Other mathematical concepts commonly developed in the preschool years include the ability to do thatrecognize shapes, use classifications(height, size, etc.), usagespatial awareness for puzzles, Instart predicting cause and effectrelationships.

Learn numbers with speech bubbles!

Take this quiz and receive a report on your child's milestones and a personalized learning plan.

Start the assessment

When do children start counting to 10? (2)

9 early math games for kids learning to count to 10

Here are some early math games for kids that you can do with your toddler to help him learn numbers and count to 10:

1.Speech Blubs' 'Awesome Numbers' en 'Numbers and Me'-gedeelte

Speech Blubs is an award-winning speech therapy and vocabulary building app that helps toddlers and young children expand their vocabulary and improve their speech. All children can play and learn with it, even children with a 'typical' development leveldevelopmental delays in speechdue to circ*mstances such asautismor other learning difficulties.

The pedagogical'Fantastic figures'In'Talk and I'games put basic numerical concepts on the tip of children's tongues. These are great math games that you can use to teach preschoolers how to count.

When do children start counting to 10? (3)

Speech therapists will tell you that when children learn, the brain processes mathematical and linguistic stimuli in completely different places in the brain. But by doing exercises that target both of these neural centers simultaneously, you can help create new neural networks in the brain.

Whenusing speech blurbschildren are rewarded with fun facts that show how different numbers appear in the world around them.

Regular updates of new and fresh content keep the app exciting and interesting for young people.

However, keep in mind that while the app works to help childrenlearn numbersand the concepts behind it,children always reap the most benefits when their parents participate. It's important that you make time to laugh and play with your child and extend the app's ideas into the real world to give your child more context.

The more time you spend on toddler activities and expensesSpeech Blubs-appwith your child, the more benefits he/she will receive.

Learn early math skills withSpeech Blubs! Our super fun educational gameFantastic numbers,Numbers and me,Stupid shapes, InWord fit,helps your toddler learn to count and develop their number sense and other early math concepts in no time!

2.Coin counting game

When do children start counting to 10? (4)

If you give a small child nice toys, what does he or she want to play with? A box. This is because toddlers love 'real' toys and often prefer them to plastic children's toys.

With a toddler, things like boxes, pots and pans and money will attract more attention than any toddler toy - so why not use this to your advantage?

To encourage counting for preschoolers, have them count coins.At the same time, you can work on sorting the coins by size and learning the different values ​​of the coins. These are all mathematical concepts that will develop over time, but which you can encourage through regular practice.

3. Magnetic fishing game

You can buy magnetic fishing toys at almost any store that sells children's toys.

These games are exactly what you'd think: kids use a magnetic rod to "fish" for magnetic fish.

Encourage your child to count the number of fish as he catches them.This will not only encourage counting, but it will also help them with their hand-eye coordination.

4. Songs about numbers

Children love itsinging and dancingand singing songs together is a great way to enhance learning. It's a perfect math game for kids because they won't even know they're learning! And when the time comescount to 10, there are many songs that can help your child learn.

All you have to do is search YouTube for "numbers" and you can choose from a long list of catchy tunes to help your child learn the numbers - and have fun while doing so.

5. Be active while you count

When it comes to learning, we always want to encourage you to get your kids outside. And when it comes to math, nature is one of the most educational places your child can be.

Why? Because there are examples of mathematics everywhere – the symmetry of a snowflake, the pattern of a pine cone, the geometry of a gingerbread, the height of different trees – mathematics is everywhere you look. Of course, you can't expect your toddler to understand the geometry of a honeycomb, but you can encourage him to count outside. **You can also check outJon Scieszka's bestseller,The mathematical curse, for a fun story about a child who encounters math in everyday activities.

Go for a walk, choose a piece of nature (for example a tree) and see how many you can count along the way.

Learn numbers with speech bubbles!

Take this quiz and receive a report on your child's milestones and a personalized learning plan.

Start the assessment

When do children start counting to 10? (5)

6. Go on a number hunt

Draw the numbers 1 to 10 on large pieces of paper. Stick them on objects in the playroom or in your living room. For example, one can sit on a chair, two on the couch, three in the corner, four on the wall, five by the window, etc. When you call out a number, have your child go to that number and point for each object that they represent! If they are having a hard time, you can give them pointers. This activity is best for children aged 3 or 4 when they have already memorized the numbers. It's also fun physical activity if you tell them to be as fast as possible, or if there are several children in the room competing to be the first to reach the correct number.

Find more ideas about preschool number recognition activities in this video:

7. Follow the numbers

You will need masking tape for this. Stick a number shape on a large piece of paper and ask your little one to trace them with crayons or markers. In addition to practicing writing numbers, this activity is also great for working on their fine motor skills! If they like it, it can keep them busy while you take some time off, prepare a meal, etc.

8. Sort the colorful mini pompoms

Take an egg carton and write a number in each of the egg compartments. Color each with a specific color. Now find objects that fit in the egg box and are the same color. These can be paper clips or small fluffy pom-poms that you can get at the dollar store. Now match the number of pompoms with the number and color in an egg box. For example, 1 yellow pom-pom, 2 red pom-poms, 3 green pom-poms, etc. Give your toddler the exact number of pom-poms for each color! Mix them together and ask your child to sort them. They sort for hours and learn colors and numbers at the same time.

When do children start counting to 10? (6)

9. Count with Lego

If you have Lego or other toy building blocks at home, you can easily count them and learn numbers. Write the numbers from one to 10 on a piece of paper. Write a square or box under each number. Ask your child to place a Lego brick in the box under number one, two under number two, three under number three and so on. This will teach your child to compare what is less and what is more. You can also ask them, "Is one less than two?" If I have two Legos, do I have more than one?' Don't worry too much about right or wrong answers (you can model what is right for them). It's about getting them comfortable with comparisons.

Learn numbers with speech bubbles!

Take this quiz and receive a report on your child's milestones and a personalized learning plan.

Start the assessment

When do children start counting to 10? (7)
When do children start counting to 10? (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Dean Jakubowski Ret

Last Updated:

Views: 6322

Rating: 5 / 5 (50 voted)

Reviews: 89% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Dean Jakubowski Ret

Birthday: 1996-05-10

Address: Apt. 425 4346 Santiago Islands, Shariside, AK 38830-1874

Phone: +96313309894162

Job: Legacy Sales Designer

Hobby: Baseball, Wood carving, Candle making, Jigsaw puzzles, Lacemaking, Parkour, Drawing

Introduction: My name is Dean Jakubowski Ret, I am a enthusiastic, friendly, homely, handsome, zealous, brainy, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.