My 21-month old granddaughter, Zoey, has been fascinated with counting lately. I honored that interest by adding a few new math items along with counting books and activities. Today, I want to focus on Montessori-inspired activities that can be done together with a toddler to reinforce the concept of quantity.
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I added a few books with counting to Zoey’s living room book basket (National Geographic Little Kids Look and Learn: Count, Madeline, and Madeline’s Rescue) and the Melissa and Doug shape-sorting clock to her shelves.
Counting and Transferring Apples
I also added a simple basket of objects for Zoey to count. Right now, the basket contains 10 acrylic apples, although I’ll change an activity like that according to season or interest. As always, one of my favorite ways to focus on counting is through music.
Simple, Montessori-Inspired Counting for Toddlers – Video
For this video, we looked for simple activities to reinforce counting while transferring objects. The purpose is to give meaning to quantity rather than simply saying the numbers in order. These activities are only focusing on understanding quantity, so we didn’t use any number cards or sandpaper numerals. In the video, you’ll see some activities Zoey and my daughter, Christina (Zoey’s aunt), had fun with.
Your creativity is the limit in deciding which counting activities to do with your toddler or preschooler.
Related Blog Posts
Isolation of Quality (Explains why the apples are identical)
DIY Number Rods and Alternatives (the traditional Montessori material that introduces quantity)
Inexpensive and DIY Montessori Sandpaper Numerals (the traditional Montessori material that introduces the numerical symbols)
Resources Used in Video
Ready to Pick the Apples from the Apple Tree (Counting Activity)
- Apples: Ashland Acrylic Fall Fillers found at Michaels craft store a couple of years ago
- “Count the Apples” Printable from Free Apple Pack by 3 Dinosaurs
- Montessori Services rug
Do you and your toddler have some favorite counting activities?
Learn more about my eBook Montessori at Home or School: How to Teach Grace and Courtesy! I’m also one of the coauthors of the book Learn with Play – 150+ Activities for Year-round Fun & Learning!
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