How to teach a 5 year old to count?

Question

My little sister has troubles recognizing numbers past 3 and she barely knows the alphabet. I tried to teach her by playing number games with her (on nickjr.com and other sites) but she just gets annoyed and rather play the easier games.

Her stronger areas are in pictures/situation recognition and speech, but I want her to improve in numbers and letters. Are there any helpful tips in teaching her without her getting stressed out?

Answer 1

Don't pressure her.  Make it a game and work within the time frame of her attention span.  Make visuals that you spell the word three write a number 3 and make three stars and so on up to ten.  Find out if she is a mover, a looker or a listener.  

Answer 2

Use every situation you can as an opportunity to count

Play hop Scotch  call out a number/letters and have her jump do that number/letter

Have her write numbers/letters outside w/ chalk and say hop to five or skip to letter A

Read number/letters books

Have an ice cube tray and  write numbers in each compartment and have her put that many object in each compartment

Play I spy w/ numbers/treasure hunt w/ numbers

Make number/ alphabet books/ focus on a number letters a  a day cut out pictures from a  from a catalogs

Make letters w/play doh

Incorperate art  c for cookie make cookies from construction paper

Sing letter and number songs (songsforteaching)

Go to preschoolexpress.com they have good ideas

Starfall.com---------great site

Use all the senses to make her understand and make it fun and very hands on

Answer 3

make a game with grapes or something, cheerios... anything you can give her without it being dangerous.

make her count to 10 or something with grapes, and whens he does it right, she gets to eat em. :)

Answer 4

Don't just use the computer. Use Barbies, m&m's, her favorite toys, or old school way, use apples. some kids need to feel things to learn & count w/ her so she can also hear what numbers they are.

I had a very hard time with learning numbers and letters at that age too. Don't worry, I takes, you guessed it, TIME!

Answer 5

I find that most children pick it easier and quicker when we incorporate it multiple time through the day with activities that are meaningful.

As you are folding towels together, count out loud.  Really...don't make her count with you if it is a stress point...because it will still become engrained (usually) just by hearing it over and over.

Setting the table...how many spoons do we need?  How many napkins?

If she is drawing a picture and has multiple of the same objects.  Count them.  "Look, I see 1-2-3-4-5 clouds".

You mentioned count in your main question but then said your sister has trouble recognizing the numbers.  Counting-orally and number recognition are really two different things.  :-)  Does she have trouble with both?

If she likes to be active...consider a number obstacle course in the living room or outside.  Have a number card near by each area and she needs to do that activity that many times.  Like jumping on the pillow 5 times.

Hokey Pokey- number flash cards on the floor.  Put your number 10 in, take your number 10 out.

Put number cards up above her head on a wall.  Provide a fly swatter (decorate it if you want) and have her jump up and slap a number and tell you what it is.  Then perform an action that many times.

Oral counting: Bounce or roll a ball back and forth and count.

Try getting Jump Start or Reader rabbit cd's from the local library at a preschool level.  What I like about these is that it starts at level 1...but automatically moves ahead when that level is mastered.  They really don't know much of a difference and can't change the level like my son likes to do.  (He's 5 and very capable, but he likes to play the games I have out for the babies and toddlers LOL)

Speech strength:  This age usually likes to tell stories.  Draw a picture or have her draw a picture and tell a story about it.  We call this dictation.  You can write it down on another sheet of paper or beneath the pictures.  Encourage her to incorporate numbers.  Call them number stories.

Make a number display/collage.  Each day provide a different block shaped number.  Have her create a collage on it.  Even more "learning" by only putting on that number of objects.  For example...a number 2 might have 2 pasta noodles, 2 buttons, 2 foam shapes, etc.  Display them in her bedroom at her level.

Mystery Numbers:  On half index cards, use white crayons to write one numeral on each card.  Then give her  water colors and the card.  When she paints over the card the numeral will show through it.  As an extension you can use white crayon on another set of cards and create dots to correspond.  Then she can match them, you guys can play memory, etc.

Outside: create a hopscotch board..have her yell the numbers as loud as she can as she hops.  You can also make a "phone pad" with chalk outside and have her jump to the numbers in her telephone.  

Number books from your local library- 5 little monkeys is always a favorite.  It's fun to act out.  7 Little Hippos, 5 Little Pumpkins, etc.

Have her draw line pictures.  And then measure each line with a ruler.  If you use a plastic ruler you can use a washable marker or dry erase marker and underline the number and she can state what it is.

Good luck...hope one of those ideas help!