Domain: NC Foundations for Early Learning: Cognitive Development (CD)

Subdomain: Mathematical Thinking and Expression

Goal: Children show understanding of numbers and quantities during play and other activities

Skill Progression: Recognizing number and subitizing

Age: 33-36 Months

Click here to go to all skills for ages 33-36 Months.

Observe (or join) the family during a meal or snack. Play I Spy with everyone at the table, focusing on using terms related to amount.

Let all family members who are older than the child know that the game will look at knowing labels for amounts and they should let the youngest family member have time to respond first. Adults can then ask some questions that will be too difficult for the youngest member, but appropriate for the others. During the meal or snack family members take turns stating what they see. “I see a plate that has more beans than mine.” “I see a plate with the same number of tacos as Mommy’s.”

Observe and listen to the child’s responses to the I Spy items. The discussion about whether someone is right or wrong can also reveal understanding.

Learning concepts such as “all,” “none” “more” or “same” requires the child to make comparisons. Such games motivate the child to examine and compare amount using concepts that do not always employ one-to-one correspondence or counting. Encourage parents to use these terms with their child. Emphasize the importance of understanding these concepts to later success in math in school.