Around 19-21 months, your toddler will be able to develop rote counting skills (e.g., counting from one to five) rather than rational counting skills (e.g., “How many fingers are there?”).  

Practice with Our Toddler Activity "One-to-Five":

1. Start by inviting your toddler to be the counter", and tell them you’ll be the “finger holder.”
2. Raise each finger one at a time, and ask them to tell you which number it is.
3. Take turns counting and being the “finger holder” so they can play both sides.
4. Be patient. This will take time.

Why it matters:

Rote counting is a key math concept that helps build a foundation for addition and memory skills. Repeating simple number sequences using fingers as a visual aid is an easy way to practice counting.

Practicing these number sequences in your daily routine (e.g., counting three berries on their plate) can help reinforce their memory, so feel free to incorporate it wherever you can!

Language Tip! Counting is a natural way to teach a second language to your child. In the links below, find helpful videos sharing how to teach counting to children in the following languages...

Choose your language below: 

• English (YouTube Credit: Bounce Patrol - Kids Songs) 
• Mash-Up: English, Spanish, French, and Japanese (YouTube Credit: Bounce Patrol - Kids Songs) 
• Mash-Up: English, German, Portuguese and Indonesian (YouTube Credit: Bounce Patrol - Kids Songs) 
• Arabic (YouTube Credit: Learn with Zakaria - تعلم مع زكريا)
• Chinese -Mandarin (YouTube Credit: A Little Chinese)
• ASL- American Sign Language (YouTube Credit: Laura Berg Life)

Looking for a language that we missed? Let us know in the comments below and we'll do our best to find a video for you!