It can be a struggle for children to learn to count, but as a parent, you can make a real difference, whether it is learning basic 1,2,3 style counting or the dreaded times tables, there are a number of methods and lots of helpful & fun toys available to help make learning more fun.
Learning Number Sequences
To begin with you can simply talk to your child about how many units there are. For example; how many balls are there? Repeat the name of the number, so ‘one ball’ ‘one biscuit’. Your child will very quickly pick up the meaning of the word one, two three etc.
Once young children have learnt the basics of number sequences a good way to increase the difficulty challenge is to ask your child to start counting from a number other than one eg, “start from number seven”. This will help your child when they need to add two groups together as they can start counting from the larger group.
Using Food To Count
Another great way for them to learn is to ask your child to help you count the pieces as you cut up food such as fruit or sandwiches, or counting the number of peas on their plate. This can also be used when laying the table, by getting them to count the number of knives, forks and other cutlery you place for each person can help, and you could even get them to lay it themselves when they become good enough.
Counting ToysWe have a number of counting toys in stock, you can check them out here A,B,C & 1,2,3 Toys. This style of toy encourages young learners to work on number and colour recognition as they develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. They can sort by numerical order, do beginning math problems, and explore their imagination. Number toys will keep your toddlers learning and having fun for hours.
Lego, Lego, Lego
Is there anything Lego (& Duplo) can't be helpful with? From building functional beehives, to scaled models of the Lake district, Lego is embedded in the heart of the nation. And whilst its undoubtedly a fabulous construction toy and one of the best STEM toys out there, it's also a valuable and appealing to for teaching numbers and maths. How many red bricks are there, how many blue bricks. If we take three green bricks from the tower, how many bricks are left. It's truly a versatile toy. For younger children try using chunkier Duplo bricks, they're better suited to little hands. If you would like to invest in some Lego or Duplo bricks please visit our range here: Lego & Duplo.
We're Going On A Number Hunt!
Tap into your child’s inner curiosity with going on a number hunt! You can go around the house - or wherever you are – discovering all the places where numbers are used like a clock, TV, Computer and much more!
Wall Charts
Children love to have posters on their wall, why not make them educational with our many maths and counting wall charts. We have a range of posters, wall charts and calendars to help inspire and educate children in a play, home or school environment. The collection covers foreign languages, flags, cultures from around the world, the human body, maths, literature skills, dinosaurs, animals, wildlife, transport, space and much more. Take a look here: Educational & Fun Wall Charts
Whichever approach you take, have fun and don’t make learning too intense.
