"1, 2, 3... 5, 7, 4... 10!" That's how a 3-year-old who counts sounds. They say the words, but not in order, and not linked to quantity. It's chanting, not counting. They can throw the numbers out like a song — but can't pick up 4 sticks.
To count for real is a combination of skills: say the numbers in order, link each number to an object, understand that the last number is the amount. This takes time, and it goes faster with the right kind of play. This article shows ten concrete games for a 3–5-year-old.
At Kluriko counting is trained in the Learning Games — but at home, with concrete things, is where real maths is built.
The four skills in "counting"
- Number order. Say 1–10 in the right order.
- One-to-one mapping. Point at one object per number.
- Quantity understanding. The last number = the amount.
- Number recognition. The symbol "5" = five objects.
A 3-year-old learns #1 first. Then #2. Then #3 at 4–5. Then #4 at 5–6.
Ten games
1. Stair counting
On the way up the stairs: "One, two, three, four..." Each step = one number. Concrete, physical, they can't skip.
2. Counting sticks
On a walk: "How many sticks have you picked?" They count. Back home: make a stack. "We have 7 sticks."
3. Fruit on the table
"How many bananas are there?" At breakfast. Concrete, edible maths.
4. Jump-rope counting
"Jump 5 times." They count as they jump. Body + number.
5. Clap your hands
"Clap 6 times." Then 8. Then 3. They train number sense.
6. Hide-and-count
You hide 4 toys in the room. "Find all 4." They search and count.
7. Count with fingers
A classic. "Show 3 with your fingers. Show 7." They learn finger-quantity — important for later mental maths.
8. Game dice
Buy a big dice. They roll. Say the number you see and take that many steps. A board game without a board.
9. Count down
Once they know 1–10, reverse. "Now we count down: 10, 9, 8, 7..." Much harder but prepares subtraction.
10. Number hunt in a book
In a picture book: "How many cars are in the picture?" They count. They learn that numbers exist in the world, not just on paper.
Number sense — the most important
Counting isn't the goal. Number sense is. They should feel that 3 is less than 5. That 10 is many. That 1 is one.
Number sense is built through repeated concrete handling. Not through worksheets.
Common problems
They say "1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 10". Number order isn't automated. Practise on stairs, songs, chants.
They point at two objects and say one number. One-to-one mapping is missing. Slow, physical games: they touch each object as they say the number.
They say the last number but not the amount. "How many?" "Three... four... five!" — and they stop. Means they can chant, but don't get that five is five objects total. Build it with "count and stop": count five apples, ask "how many apples?", and they should answer five (without recounting).
They don't want to count. OK. Don't force. Count visibly yourself instead. They watch, learn indirectly.
Songs and chants
- "Three little frogs" — counting in song
- "Itsy bitsy spider" — counting hidden in a story
- "Five little ducks" — counting song
- Lennart Hellsing's children's rhymes — lots of counting
Songs are powerful for 3-5-year-olds. The brain links rhythm + number.
Letters vs numbers
At 4 they're often more receptive to numbers than to letters — numbers are fewer (ten vs 29) and have logic (each step is one more). Many kids learn to count to 10 before they learn the alphabet.
Both are fine. Both come.
Show the symbols
At 4–5 start showing the number symbols: 1, 2, 3... Magnetic numbers on the fridge. Number blocks in the sandbox. They link symbol to quantity. The step from oral to written.
Counting to 10 — early timeline
Age 3: chanting to 5. Concrete counting to 3. Age 4: chanting to 10. Concrete counting to 5–7. Age 5: concrete counting to 10. Understands symbols 1–10. Age 6: backwards counting. Understands "more" and "less".
How Kluriko helps
Kluriko Learning Games have counting games where they point at quantities and link number symbols to amounts. Mini-training, 5 minutes, perfect for the 4–5-year-old as a complement to physical play.