Teaching toddlers basic numbers is important for early education and developing math skills.
With the right guidance, even young children can understand concepts like counting, sorting, placing things in order of size, recognizing numbers on sight, and more.
The following are six fun ways to teach your toddler the fundamentals of numbers through activities that are easily adaptable to their age level.
- Practice Counting Out Loud
Counting out loud provides an exciting opportunity for toddlers to learn the different words associated with numbers.
You can make counting engaging and fun by selecting items from your toddler’s environment that they find interesting, such as their toys or items in the closet.
Counting things outside the window, like cars, bikes, and other vehicles, is also beneficial.
When you count, it’s beneficial to pause after each number so your toddler can repeat them back; this repetition helps to establish a firm understanding of what each word corresponds to.
When practising counting aloud, include various objects or activities that draw attention and spark engagement.
This level of interaction helps create a lasting bond between yourself and your toddler while teaching critical developmental skills.
- Play With Number Toys
Look for toys that have colourful illustrations of the numbers and tactile features that allow your child to interact with the toy itself.
Puzzles featuring numbers are also great because they help develop problem-solving skills and learn how each number looks and sounds when spoken aloud.
Additionally, if you don’t want to purchase new toys specifically for this purpose, look around your home for items that could be used in place of actual toys, like carpet squares or foam blocks so that your child still gets the same level of engagement without having spent money on new items.
- Use Number Tracing Worksheets
Number tracing worksheets are perfect for helping youngsters learn how to write each character without overwhelming them with too much information at once.
Plenty of free and easy-to-access printable number tracing worksheets are available online, or you could even make your own on blank paper and coloured markers.
Start by demonstrating to your toddler how to trace the number they’d like to practise, remembering to provide gentle guidance if requested before allowing them to have a go at it themselves.
When finished, they’ll have gotten familiarised with writing each number and can recognize each one visually too.
- Create Visuals That Show Numbers
Visuals can easily recognize shapes and colours without remembering complicated words or learning abstract ideas first-hand.
By creating visuals such as number charts or posters with pictures representing each number from one through ten, you can help your toddler become familiar with written numerals so that they can better recognize them in other contexts later on down the line.
Ensure to reward their successes by clapping their hands or offering positive praise, even if it’s something small. It will encourage them further down their learning journey.
- Utilise Songs and Rhymes
Including songs and rhymes in teaching your toddler numbers is a great way to keep them entertained and learning at the same time.
Songs are not just enjoyable; their musical aspects can help a child pay attention, understand more easily, and remember more effectively than traditional learning methods.
Popular nursery rhymes like 10 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed or Five Little Ducks provide a simple yet effective introduction to numerical concepts, breaking down larger amounts into smaller manageable chunks that toddlers can easily understand.
- Read Books About Numbers
Reading books about numbers with your toddler is a great way to familiarise them with numerals while instilling a love of reading early on in life.
Plenty of books are specifically designed for children who are just learning how to count.
Check out some bookstores or libraries near you that specialise in these stories.
Additionally, many interactive books feature buttons that prompt different sound effects when pressed.
These books help bring the story alive while teaching important lessons about maths concepts.
Teaching a toddler about numbers is not only an important milestone but also an exciting one.
Following the above tips, you can help your little one understand basic maths concepts like counting objects, recognizing written numerals, matching numerals together in sets, and adding objects correctly.
Learning should always be fun, so remember to incorporate games into the equation whenever possible, ensuring that you and your child enjoy every step.
Luciana joined our team as a mum blogger in 2020. A dedicated mum to a lively daughter and a dog, Luna, Luciana brings authenticity and passion to every post. Her expertise in parenting and lifestyle topics offers practical, relatable advice for real-life situations.