Rote Counting

ByThe Teacher

ID-10069143We are back from winter break and that means its time to double down on the academics. I noticed that counting and general number fluency is something that my entire class can use some extra support on, so this will be the first post in a series about counting in Preschool.

Rote counting is a prerequisite to almost any counting or number sense activity. In order to rote count, you just have to be able to say the numbers in order. As the name implies, rote counting is a skill that is generally learned by doing it over and over. In my class, we have been practicing rote counting by counting to 30 at the beginning of math meeting. However, we are about halfway through the school year and a lot of students are still getting stuck in the 14, 15, 16 area. I wonder if it is because the numbers in this run sound similar?  The ones who are able to make it to 30 (our end of year goal) are still not super confident with counting and could definitely use some work on consistency. I did some research on the subject and came up with these strategies to add an extra level of support and keep counting fresh:

  • Counting forward (instead of counting down) during transitions
  • Counting off—each student says one number. This works well when we count after recess/during field trips to make sure everyone is present, but is also a great activity for when we have a few extra minutes. I love this activity because everybody has to listen to make sure they are ready when it is their turn. Its also great if I can engineer it so that the child who counts 14, 15, 15, 17 gets the 16th spot so that she can clearly hear the order of the numbers.
  • Teacher counts aloud while students listen—this is definitely not my favorite strategy, but I am trying to do it at least once a day. It is important for them to hear the correct sequence and is easier for them to hear it when they are not trying to count along.
  • Whispering in a student’s ear while she counts. I heard about this technique as a strategy to help older students with phrasing while reading and thought it could work for counting as well. Basically, the student counts out loud while you simultaneously whisper the numbers in their ears. This helps because you preempt mistakes and help students hear the correct order of numbers every time that they count.

Our class also has some favorite counting videos from YouTube:

 

The Count Bounce Countdown counts forward to 10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeDsOJX9FzY

 

Numbers Help Me Count is a fun way to practice counting to 20

 

Let’s Count to 30! is a favorite because I let students march around the class as they count along. I also like it because the counting is fluent and each number is stated clearly.

 

Do you have any favorite counting strategies? Let me know in the comments!

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