Learning numbers is very important for the development of children, especially when it comes to their schooling. And you may think that it is something complicated to achieve, but this is not really the case; With some exercises you can stimulate their learning in an easy and fun way .
Although early stimulation helps children to develop skills more easily, it is important that you understand that there are periods that we must respect in their development. It is of little use to try to get your child to learn numbers when he does not yet have the capacity to do so. Check out more interesting articles on our site The Blog.
And it is that, as a general rule, it is from the age of two to three , approximately, when children can learn numbers well . Trying to make this happen when they are younger can cause them to become overwhelmed and frustrated.
“The best teaching is the one that uses the fewest words needed for the task.”
-Maria Montessori-
Learning numbers: why is it important?
Learning numbers is important for the development of life and autonomy , as it allows us to be able to express quantities, which will be necessary to be able to make purchases, calculate distances and mathematical operations of all kinds, among many other things.
In addition, through numbers we can designate an order , an ability that allows us to position objects or places.
In this way, through numbers we can understand concepts such as first and last and we can even understand who goes before or after (for example in the queues at school).
How to teach numbers to children
It is clear that this skill will be learned at school; however, at home, as parents, we can also make it easier for our children. How to teach numbers to children in an easy and fun way? We give you some ideas.
Use educational games
Many children’s games have numbers they can press . One of the most popular are toy telephones, which in addition to allowing them to play pretending to talk to another person, also offers you the perfect opportunity for the child to become familiar with numbers .
Bet on the everyday
Take advantage of each daily activity to teach your child numbers, and invite him to use them.
For example, you can ask your child to pass you a certain amount of whatever object is around you. Help him count from one in ascending order until he reaches the amount you have indicated.
Videos with eye-catching images
On the internet you can find very interesting videos that address the subject of numbers, and that are made specifically to stimulate children’s learning using striking and colorful images that help them focus their attention on the subject.
Play shopping: the symbolic game
Playing shopping can be the perfect activity to learn about numbers. Thus, through symbolic play, you can play that you buy in your store and ask for a specific number of a product.
Through this game, children can also learn numbers with the payment of the purchase .
Teach through songs
Through songs you can also start teaching numbers to your children. They can be accompanied by objects that indicate the quantities that are mentioned.
Count on cotton balls
Another original and fun game to learn numbers is this one, similar to a craft , which involves counting with cotton balls .
To play it we will use polo sticks; We will put a number on the highest part of the polo stick and we will put the stick in a glass. Inside the glass, the boys and girls will have to put colored balls (like cotton balls).
Associate
To learn the numbers the association is a very valuable resource . For this you only have to indicate a number and, using objects, fruits, toys , candies, etc., indicate how many there are.
Then you can say the number and ask the child to choose as many objects as you have indicated.
count steps
If you have stairs at home or you can go somewhere that has them, you can take this opportunity to learn the numbers, counting each step and determining how many there are in total.
You can also ask your child to go up a certain number of steps, or to go down another one. Take advantage of having him while she does it.
DIY games
A fashionable trend that has been very useful is DIY ( Do It Yourself ), which means “do it yourself”, and that allows us to create games to learn numbers using resources that you will surely have at home.
On the internet you will find a lot of very interesting ideas that can help you.
“Do not spare your children the difficulties of life, rather teach them to overcome them.”
-Louis Pasteur-
Writing
Writing the numbers helps a lot to learn them. Although at first it is normal to present the numbers to the child so that he can see them and begin to associate them with her concept, it is very helpful if she tries to write them down .
For this, you can help yourself with a blackboard (it can be sensory, with lights and colors, etc., that attract their attention), paper or even sand. Also, this activity can help you develop your fine motor skills ( fine motor skills ).
number tokens
Educational cards are always a good resource (on the internet you will find many, and also, you can easily print them at home or in the library ); In this case, we are talking about specific cards to teach numbers, adapted to each age.
Some can be related to numbers with objects , others, to follow the dashed lines to form the numbers… The variety is served, and your little one can choose the one that most attracts his attention . We leave you an example file:
Turn to fun and entertainment
Finally, remember that for learning to be easier for children, it should ideally be fun and entertaining , and should not be full of fear or pressure.
Don’t worry if your child isn’t learning numbers as quickly as you’d like them to.
If you feel that the activity with which you have tried to teach the numbers is not working, simply try other methods; not all games work in all cases.
And don’t worry about how long it may take him to learn them; just accompany him with lots of love.
“We are all geniuses. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb trees, it will live its whole life believing it is useless.”
-Albert Einstein-
