Young children's journey towards counting: A review from Mme Rigolotte!
- Frédérique and the Wooden Fellows
“I can count to 10! One … two … threefoursixeighten!” Have you ever wonder how young children develop their counting skills?
The wooden Fellows and I could talk about early mathematics all day. Its omnipresence, combined with young children’s natural curiosity, makes it the perfect tool to engage young minds daily. Given the wealth of research-based resources already available online—many of them free to access—we simply aim here to raise early mathematics awareness among anyone curious about young children. You may recall our introductory post and previous discussions on concepts like spatial sense and patterns, all presented in a fun and accessible way.
Today, Mme Rigolotte takes the lead in delving into how young children process numbers and develop their counting skills, or should we say, young expertise : ) As you can see through Petite Clothilde’s experience, it may not as straightforward as it might seem, but the busy life of young children offer them daily opportunities to practice.
Petite Clothilde’s favorite counting song: “Un… deux… trois… fermez les petits pois”
Young child’s counting journey involves understanding that numbers come in a sequence and that some numbers should simply be memorized. In English, the teens can be tricky to understand, especially since numbers like eleven, twelve, etc., don’t follow the same simple structure as other numbers. The sequence may be simpler to grasp in some languages, or be more complex beyond teens in others! For example, in Chinese, 11 is “ten one” and 12 is “ten two,” making the pattern more intuitive. In French, seventy is “soixante-dix” (sixty-ten), eighty is “quatre-vingts” (four-twenty), and ninety is “quatre-vingt-dix” (four-twenty-ten), adding some complexity beyond teen numbers.
Children might initially perceive words as a whole, much like when they first learn the alphabet and may think of “LMNOP” as one letter (Rosie, whose best friend was Peter when she was younger, used to say “LMNOPete”). They then begin to break them down, start counting from any number or counting backwards.
Lullabies, such as “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe” in English, (or “Un, Deux, Trois, Fermez les Petits Pois” in French), are an amusing way to expose children to the number sequence at a very young age. Offering children opportunities to go past the teen numbers, helps them recognize the “magic” that happens after each “nine,” when a new name emerges with the start of a new decade. Once children start making sense of the pattern, they can keep counting and counting. Paul, Rosie’s brother, would even invent names like “Googleplex one,” “Googleplex two,” and so on, showing his own creative approach to understanding numbers.
Practicing one-one-one correspondence: “Petite Clothilde, how many rocks did Maurice give you?”
Another critical concept to grasp is keeping track of what is being counted. In the brief video, Petite Clothilde is still working on such “one-one one correspondence” concept, saying several number words without pointing to each rock individually yet. Asking questions like “How could you keep track of what you count?” or modeling counting strategies could help Petite Clothilde develop her counting skills further. For instance, Mme Rigolotte, in the video, deliberately moves rocks as she counts, modeling a way to keep track of the rocks counted. Inviting Petite Clothilde to count rocks all piled up, would also give us hints on strategies she may use ahead of counting, such as lining them up first to make counting easier!
Understanding cardinality: “So, how many rocks do you have?”
Another concept to grasp is that the items counted form a set, with the last number representing all the items (cardinality). For example, a young child may be able to count five counters on a table accurately, but when asked, “So, how many rocks do you have?” they may start counting again. Similarly, when asked to “show me five,” the child may point to the last rock, as if “five” refers to that specific counter. Engaging with young children as they count, asking them follow up questions, is a essential to fully understand where a child may be in their counting journey.
Representing counting on paper: “Petite Clothilde, how can you share your counting with another Doudou-Tout-Doux?”
Young children start representing quantities on paper as soon as they start drawing — one dog here, two flowers there, etc. With time, and guidance, they can start representing their counting on paper—first by drawing the counted items, and then by writing the corresponding numbers. Just like with letters, young children may need time to practice certain numbers, like 3 and 5, and develop a “motor plan” to know where to start and where to go.
The best way I’ve personally found to encourage young children to share their counting on paper is by asking them who they would like to share it with—someone who isn’t in the room. At home, they may want to share it with a teacher or grandparent, while at school, they might wish to share it with their family.
Wrapping up with few insights from Mme Rigolotte!
The various levels of mathematical understanding described earlier are somewhat fluid and can be reinforced from toddlers to preschoolers, and beyond, as opportunities arise. Young children should have opportunities to count even if they don’t know the rote sequence well yet, continue to sing lullabies in preschool, etc. A bedtime song, practicing one-to-one correspondence while setting the table can be simple ways to reinforce these concepts as days go.
Mme Rigolotte loves reminding us that math is a language! Just as we use words to communicate, sometimes words alone are not enough. For instance, we need math to discuss relationships and more.
Numbers are everywhere. Go on a number hunt, like the Fellows did a few months ago. Number hunts offer opportunities to discuss various purposes of numbers beyond counting (e.g., in a library, on a phone number, or a price tag). Notice “unusual” numbers, too! I once had a fascinating discussion about fractions with preschoolers, who found the idea of writing two numbers on the top of each other quite funny. Mme Rigolotte loves French elevators because zero (remember our post? Don’t forget zero!) represents the ground level, while the first floor would be our “second floor” (one story above the ground). Remember, each child progresses at their own pace. Math should be fun and engaging.
What else would you highlight? What is your experience with counting with young children?
Additional resources
- Carpenter, T. P., Franke, M. L., Johnson, N.C., Turrou, A. C., & Wager, A. A. (2016). Young children’s mathematics: Cognitively guided instruction in early childhood education. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
- Clements & Sarama. (2003). Engaging young children in mathematics. Routledge.
- Erikson Institute. (2014). Big Ideas of Early Mathematics. Pearson Professional Development.
- Fosnot, C. T., & Dolk, M. (2001). Young mathematicians at work. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.