I thought I was quite good with number in the Early Years but researching the acquisition of the counting principles for my final EYTS essay, I discovered I still had a lot to learn.
There are 5 counting principles; defined way back in 1978 by Gelman and Galistell as...
- one to one principle.
(Count each item once and only once, a pointing gesture helps children achieve this. Also other organisation techniques such as lining items up)
- stable order principle.
(Reciting numbers in the correct order; children learn this knowledge by rote. Nursery rhymes, stories and counting things in everyday life like climbing the stairs all reinforce this knowledge)
- the cardinal principle.
(The idea that the last number counted represents the value of the set... Children who understand this can answer "how many do I have?" or "give me X many" questions for numbers greater than 4. This skill is usually acquired at around three and a half years an can be reinforced by adults using and "altogether" gesture at the end of counting.)
Once children can do these three things then they can count, although there are 2 more principle which allow them to expand their use of counting.
In addition to learning to count, toddlers are simultaneously learning about the very concept of number. Often, we are very good at modelling counting, but spend less time reinforcing the concept of number. Just because a child can recite numbers 1-10 does not mean they know what "3" means.
Subitising is the recognition of small numbers visually without counting. Subitising helps children develop their concept of number (including the tricky cardinal principle) and so lots of practise with numbers 1-3 is needed even for toddlers confidently reciting to 10 or more.
We have been counting lots of small groups recently; like the fish fingers on our plate, then answering "how many fish fingers?" The children who can't yet count can still answer "how many" questions for collections of 2 and 3 objects reinforcing the conceptual link between counting and number as a concept.
Concentrating some planned activities on small numbers allows concepts of number and counting to develop simultaneously.
Our favourite resources for numbers 1-5 are;
The hungry caterpillar
5 little ducks went swimming one day
Zoom zoom zoom
What number rhymes and stories do you enjoy?