How To Teach Number Recognition to Your Preschooler with This Brilliantly Simple, 5-Step Routine
Are you looking for strategies to help your child recognize numbers? Do you need preschool number recognition activities? If so, you are absolutely in the right place!
During my time as an early childhood teacher and a mom of two, I’ve learned some things about number recognition from those littles.
- Learning to identify numbers is HARD!
- Numbers are just arbitrary symbols that are easily confused with letters, shapes, and other symbols.
- Little ones need many exposures to numerals and explicit instruction to help recognize them.
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In this post, you will learn
- The importance of identifying numbers
- The typical age children start recognizing numbers
- Number recognition activities
- A simple number identification routine
- How to bring meaning to numbers through counting and number sense activities
- Plus, a list of preschool books that support number recognition.
After reading this post you will have the knowledge to implement effective strategies to help your preschooler identify numbers.
Importance of identifying numbers
Identifying numbers is essential for other numerical skills and mathematical thinking.
Despite numerals being symbols that people came up with, they are what we use to represent quantity and are a necessary element in our society.
Children who have a firm grasp on number identification by the time they are in first grade will be more successful in school.
This is because it will be easier for them to focus on and learn other numerical skills. Instead of trying to read the numbers in an equation, their brain can focus on the process of solving the problem.
Typical age preschoolers start recognizing numbers
Just like anything else, children start recognizing numbers at different ages.
Typically, toddlers will be able to realize that we say numbers when we count. Also, they will start to make the connection that some written symbols are numbers, even if they don’t know which numbers.
By the time they are three, many children will start to recognize some numbers between 0-5. Gradually, they will become more consistent in naming numbers and learning more of them.
The ages of four and five are often the prime years for preschoolers to learn to identify numbers rapidly. You might notice that one day your child recognizes a few numbers, and the following week they have more than doubled the amount of numerals they know!
Many five and six year olds are ready to identify teen numbers and higher!
Of course, some children will take longer than this timeframe, while others will learn at a more expedited pace.
Are you getting started with homeschooling your preschooler? click here to check out this guide!
Preschool number identification activities
One of the first ideas you may have when thinking of teaching your child numbers is to use flash cards.
Flash cards can be effective for a ton of preschoolers and they are cheap and easy to use.
You could be surprised at how many other number identification strategies there are that are cheap, easy, and even FUN!!
Developing a basic awareness of numbers
Before your child is ready to identify numbers, you can still expose them and bring awareness to numbers.
There are numbers everywhere! Therefore, it is so simple to expose our little ones to them.
Point out numbers to your child as you see them around the house. You can find numbers on your clock, packages, food boxes and containers, your dryer dial, etc.
You can go on a number hunt to find numbers throughout your house or neighborhood. Spot numbers as you are driving with your child in the car.
These are super simple ways to expose your kids to numbers.
Preschool Number Recognition Matching Activities
Once your child has been exposed to numbers, the next step is often being able to match two of the same number.
Through number matching, children start to recognize the differences in the way each number looks. Littles will notice straight lines, curves, and loops in written numerals.
Of course you can do a simple worksheet and have your preschooler draw a line from a number to its match, but there are much more engaging ways to do this!
One of my favorite (and EASY) activities for this is to write two sets of numbers on sticky notes. Hang one set of numbers around the room or house, and give the other set to your child to go on a number hunt and stick their numbers on the matching numbers you hung up.
This is fun because it gives children a sense of excitement and adventure.
Another fun number matching activity is to take a few sets of magnetic numbers and encourage your little one to sort them by matching the same numbers.
Reciting Number Names
In order for children to learn number names, they will need you to model them.
Start with just 3 numbers; usually numbers 1-3 make the most sense. Use flash cards, magnetic numbers, numbers on sticky notes, etc.
Point to one of the numbers, say it, and have your child echo you. To make sure they are looking at the number, model how to trace the number as you say it and have them trace it too.
Sensory Activities for Preschool Number Recognition
In combination with reciting numbers, use sensory activities to make it fun and help your child remember the number names.
There are super cool tactile number tracing cards with sand for the numbers. Children just use their fingers to trace each number.
Shaving cream is so awesome for kids! Spray some shaving cream on the table and show those littles how to write the number in the shaving cream with their finger.
Paint baggies are the same concept with less mess! Squirt paint into a zipper baggie, get all the air out, and zip it closed. Then lay it flat on the table and children use their fingers to write the number on the baggie while moving the paint to show the number.
Also, play-doh is perfect for making numbers! Work those little fine motor muscles by having your child roll a thin line (or snake as we call it!), then bend the line to form the number.
Be sure to have your child recite each number as they make, trace, or write it.
Simple preschool number recognition routine
We all know that the best way to get better at something is to practice, practice, practice! This is where a routine comes into play.
Each day, take a few numbers and do this simple routine:
- Echo read each number- you point to and say the number name, then your child does the same. Continue with the next couple of numbers.
- Count out objects to match how many the number card shows. Use crayons, Lego, paper clips or any other small object you have many of. If your card shows 2, your child will count out 2 objects and place them beside the number card.
- Trace the number while saying the name.
- Have your little one place the number cards in counting order. Point to each card as you read the numbers forward and backward.
- To pick up, you say a number, have your child find it and hand it to you. Continue until all cards are picked up.
After your child consistently recognizes the first 3 numbers, add another number. Once you are up to 5 numbers, pick 4 numbers your child knows well, and introduce 1 new number.
Keep the amount of numbers small for this routine. I would not recommend using more than 5 numbers each day. You will rotate through the numbers they know, and keep working on the new number until they recognize it consistently.
This routine is quick! It should take less than 5 minutes a day.
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Bring meaning to naming numbers with counting and preschool number sense activities!
Teaching number names in tandem with counting and other number skills helps children understand how numbers work.
In other words, they gain a deeper number sense which is what makes children successful in math!
Whenever you see multiple things, count them with your little one! This could be signs on the road, cars in a row, pairs of socks, forks in the dishwasher.
Literally anything can be counted!
Build that number sense even more by starting the count with a number other than 1. If your little is just learning to count, maybe start with 3. As they better understand the counting pattern, children can start counting from larger numbers.
Other number sense activities:
- Counting backwards
- Naming the number that comes before or after a given number
- Identifying which group of objects has more or less
- Placing number cards in order
Have fun playing with numbers!
Books that support preschool number identification
One of my favorite ways to support learning number names is to read number books!
Here are a few of my favorite books that help preschoolers with number identification:
- Nibbles Numbers by Emma Yarlett
- Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews
- Chicka Chicka 1,2,3 by Bill Martin Jr
- Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins
- Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh
