15 Easy Counting Activities for Preschoolers

Counting looks simple to adults, but for a 3-year-old it is several skills at once. The good news is that you do not need special equipment to practise. Stairs, snacks, socks and bath toys all work. Below are the skills that matter, then fifteen activities you can try this week.

The counting skills behind the fun

• Saying the numbers in order (rote counting): "1, 2, 3, 4…". Many children can recite further than they can actually count objects.
• One number for each object (one-to-one correspondence): touching or moving each item once as you say a number.
• The last number tells you how many (cardinality): after counting 5 ducks, knowing the answer to "How many?" is 5, without counting again.
• Seeing small amounts at a glance (subitising): knowing there are 3 dots without counting them, like on a dice.
• Recognising and writing numerals: knowing that the squiggle "4" means four.

By the end of their first year at school, children are usually working towards confident counting with small numbers. In England, the Reception year goal includes a deep understanding of numbers to 10 and recognising up to 5 objects without counting. In the US, kindergarten standards include counting to 100 by ones and tens and counting up to 20 objects. Preschool is the time to build towards this through play.

15 counting activities to try at home

Everyday counting

1. Count the stairs. Count out loud on every step, going up and coming down. Counting down is an important skill too.
2. Snack counting. Put out a few crackers or grapes. Count them together, then eat one. "How many now?"
3. Set the table. Ask your child to give one plate, one cup and one spoon to each person. This is one-to-one matching in real life.
4. Laundry helper. Count socks as you pair them, or count how many shirts go in the drawer.
5. Number spotting on a walk. Look for numbers on doors, buses, prices and signs. Say each one you find.

Play-based counting

1. Toy parade. Line up toy cars or animals and count them, touching each one. Then ask "Which one is third?"
2. Playdough number snakes. Roll a number of small balls, then count them. Squash one and count again.
3. Egg box sorting. Write 1 to 6 (or 1 to 10) in the cups of an egg box and drop that many buttons, beans or pompoms in each.
4. Bath-time pouring. Count how many cups of water fill a jug, or how many ducks float in the bath.
5. Jump, clap, stomp. Call out a number and do that many jumps or claps. Then let your child be the caller.

Games and songs

1. Counting rhymes. Songs like "Five Little Ducks" and "Five Little Monkeys" practise counting back from 5. Use your fingers as the ducks.
2. Dice games. Roll a dice and move that many steps on a simple board game, or take that many blocks to build a tower. Over time, your child will start to recognise the dot patterns without counting.
3. Quick-look dot cards. Draw 1 to 5 dots on cards. Flash a card for a second and ask how many. This builds subitising.
4. Trace, then count. Trace a number, then draw that many dots, stars or smiley faces next to it. Our free number tracing pages start at 0 and go up to 20.
5. Play a counting game. Our free counting game asks "How many?" and reads every question aloud. It is a nice screen-based extra alongside hands-on counting.

Tips that make counting stick

• Touch and move. Moving each object from one pile to another as you count stops double counting.
• Always ask "how many?" at the end. If your child counts again, model it: "The last number we said was 5, so there are 5."
• Count past 10 sometimes. The teen numbers are tricky (eleven and twelve do not sound like "one-teen" and "two-teen"), so children need to hear them often.
• Count backwards too. Rocket countdowns from 10 to "blast off" are always popular.
• Make mistakes on purpose. Skip a number or count one toy twice and let your child catch you. They love it, and it shows real understanding.
• Keep it short. A couple of minutes, a few times a day, beats one long session.

What to do if your child keeps getting stuck

It is very common for preschoolers to say the numbers correctly but lose track when counting objects, or to count the same toy twice. Go back to smaller numbers (just 3 or 4 objects), line them up in a row rather than a heap, and count slowly together, touching each one. Once small numbers are solid, bigger ones follow.

Printable practice

Some children love a worksheet they can colour, count and keep. Our number tracing sheets are free to print, and our free sample pack includes number tracing 1 to 20 and shape counting pages. For a quick sense of what your child might know before school, see our kindergarten readiness checklist.