6 Easy Ways to Teach Numbers to Your Child

Teaching numbers to your child don't have to be hard. You can motivate your child to identify and relate to the numbers with regular activities that they enjoy. Working with your children to identify numbers is important, but remember kids don't understand the meaning of numbers until they are five years old. 

Even though your child might not fully understand numbers until later, you can introduce numbers to your children after she turns one year old. Start with simple nursery rhymes or pointing out examples in their daily life. Counting their shoes, their pets, and other items in your home. 

Use Their Fingers 

Before we talk about how to teach numbers, I want to cover something important. Some parents think that teaching their children to count on their fingers is the wrong practice.

Research suggests to parents that finger counting is important for kids to visualize numbers. If you have a visual learner, finger counting might be essential to truly grasp the concept of numbers.

When your child visualizes the number quantity, it helps them to think in a more comprehensive manner. Finger counting uses more parts of a child's brain, and that means it is multi-dimensional learning. So, all of this means, you should encourage your child to use their fingers to count. 

How To Teach Numbers to Your Kids 

1. Try Nursery Rhymes

Little kids learn the best through fun nursery rhymes and songs. You can use easy songs like "10 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" or "The Ants Are Marching." Sing these silly songs with your child to get them used to the idea of numbers. Make sure to use your fingers as you sing together to help your child relate to the number of fingers you're holding up. 

2. Count as Much as You Can Each Day

The most influential way to help your child understand numbers is to use them in your daily life as much as possible. If you make an effort to find different ways to teach your child numbers each day, you might be amazed at all of the opportunities.

You can count the eggs needed to make breakfast. When you clean up, count how many toys you are cleaning up. If you go to the store, count how many of each thing you purchase. The options are endless, and it helps to encourage your child to understand numbers are part of our lives. 

3. Match Numbers to Quantities 

Here is a simple activity. You can either take merka flashcards and write numbers or a particular number of dots. Then, take cheerios or goldfish crackers and match them with the flashcard.

For example, if you give your child the flashcard with the number "3" written on it, your child can place 3 cheerios on the flashcard. Make sure he counts them as he puts them down.

Matching numbers to quantities can be done in many ways. Write down numbers in a drawing book and have your child draw to denote that quantity. When he sees the number "5", he might draw 5 circles. It's a simple, yet effective, activity. 

4. Play Connect The Dots

Connecting the dots is a fun and simple game. You can purchase drawing books dedicated to connecting the dots. It's a game that teaches kids the order of numbers. 

You can make your own connect the dot games. Make a shape with numberer dots and ask your child to connect the dots to draw the shape. 

5. Read Number Books Together

Reading books with your children is an essential task for their education. It's a fantastic way to expose your child to numbers. All you need are books that contain numbers. You can find countless examples at your local library. 

6. Make a Counting Book Together

 Instead of just reading a book together, make a book with your child. You need a blank notebook. Write 1 on the first page and then continue to you reach 10. Then, on the corresponding page, have your child draw the corresponding number of whatever your child wants. 

Try to encourage your child to pick something different to draw on each page. At the least, use a different color on each page. On one page, he can draw balloons, and on the next page, he might draw flowers.