5 Simple Free Counting Games for Preschoolers

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

Learning to count is a common and necessary skill for preschoolers to tackle. But it doesn't have to be all pencil and paper. Use simple counting games to make it fun and enhance skills at the same time. As a mom and homeschool teacher, I use a variety of ways to teach my kids lessons. Here are 5 of my favorite simple counting games for preschoolers.

Bring me this many! Test your preschoolers knowledge and practice counting by having her bring you a certain number of items. For instance, you might say "Bring me 10 yellow blocks". If she only brings you only eight, you might say "How many yellow blocks is that again? I still need 2 more to make ten." This simple counting game can be played throughout the day at various intervals.

How many words make this sentence? So your child has mastered counting objects? What about sentences in his stories? This helps with both reading comprehension and counting skills. Point to sentences and have the child count how many words he sees from the capital to the period. Doing so helps teach the child what a sentence is, as well as practice numeration.

Tap to my beat. Whether you use a pencil or a drumstick, instruct your child to tap the beat in songs. Choose a specific section of the song and tap the beat, counting together how many taps there are. This counting exercise helps the child learn about rhythm and song. But it's also great counting practice that you can sneak in disguised as fun.

Toss a penny in. Need a use for that old egg carton? Take off the top and use the egg holder portion to play penny toss. Number the slots 1-12 (or higher, depending the carton size). Grab a handful of pennies and hand them to your child. You might say "Toss 5 pennies into the number 1 slot". This simple counting game tests your child's hand-eye coordination, offers counting practice, tests number recognition skills, and more.

Red cars speed on by! Ever watch the cars go by with your kids? Turn it into a simple counting activity. Ask questions like "Let's see how many blue cars go by before the light turns red." Another may be "The light's green. How man red cars are speeding by?" Observe what's happening and use it to count the cars in various ways. This can be played during the homeschool day. But if your kids attend school outside the home, you can also play it with them on the way to and from school.


*I originally published this via Yahoo Contributor Network