Teaching Your Preschooler to Count, Add and Subtract

Do you have a preschooler or Kindergarten-age child that is ready to start working with numbers? I’d like to share with you what’s worked best for us after many years of homeschooling, and introduce you to a fun little helper as well!

Using visuals rather than words is vitally important when teaching younger children, because they have a limited vocabulary and a limited attention. Show them what you mean, and they will grasp a concept much more quickly. Even better, let them use their hands and they will be much more engaged in the lesson.

The new Learning Resources Counterpillar that we received in exchange for a review is the perfect teaching tool for this age because it combines visual appeal with a practical, hands-on experience.

This beginner abacus is designed for ages 3 and up and has several great features:

• Teaches numbers 1 to 10 or from 1 to 20
• Large colorful beads are sized for small hands
• The cute, smiling caterpillar engages their curiosity
• The one-piece unit can be easily carried by grasping the caterpillar’s body

The Learning Resources Counterpillar can be used to teaching counting, skip counting, adding, subtracting and comparing numbers. Here are some example exercises I employed with Susanna (5) and Erik (3):

• Slide 5 purple beads to the right. Slide 2 blue beads to the right. Point to both and ask “Which group is bigger?”
• Ask your child to put all the beads of one color together and tell you how many of that color there are. Move 1 away from the group and ask “How many are left?” Continue until they are all moved over.
• Point to one color (for instance, red) and say “Can you move 2 red beads?” Continue with different colors and amounts.
• Ask your child to move any number and color of beads and you will tell how many he or she moved. Say “Did Mama get it right?” (You can make a mistake on purpose and see if you get caught, just for fun!)

Awarded a “Top Summer Toy” for 2016 by The Toy Insider, the Learning Resources Counterpillar is a great addition to your classroom, preschool or home.

You can purchase directly from Learning Resources for $19.99, or on Amazon.

Share with me your best math and counting tips for young learners!