Counting sets of objects
Answers are for parents and teachers.
1
Count the spoons in your kitchen drawer (or the cups on a shelf). Say the numbers aloud and point to each one.
Any correct count; check that the child says one number for each object and that the last number is the answer.
2
Find 3 numbers outside (on a bus, a house, a shop). Is each one a label (a name) or does it tell how many?
Bus and house numbers are labels; a price or ‘3 apples’ tells how many.
3
Draw a ten frame and show 8 in it with dots.
A full top row of 5 dots and 3 dots in the bottom row.
4
Roll a dice 5 times. Each time, say the number before you count the dots.
Child names 1–6 from the dot pattern; parents check by counting.
5
Put up to 10 grapes or beans on a plate. Estimate first, then count. Write both numbers.
Any pair, e.g. estimate 7, count 8 — talk about how close the estimate was.