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: Counting

Age: 15-18 Months

You may choose a different domain, go back, or click on a skill below for more information.

Observe the child during daily routines involving multiple objects, including meals, chores, bath time, or play.

Ask the child to count items during an activity. For example, count the stairs while going up or down; count the clothes as they come out of the dryer, count the animals on a page in a book, etc.

The child uses number words, with several in sequence, but then includes random number words. The child is demonstrating understanding that number words go together in a sequence. He may point accurately while counting one and two, but lose track of one-to-one correspondence after two.

Help parents understand the importance of one-to-one correspondence in counting. Encourage them to count slowly and use finger pointing to each item with each number stated. This will help the child begin to associate that the number word corresponds to an item being counted. Parents can count anything the child is interested in (flowers, birds, foods). Counting body parts while washing during bath time is particularly good, as it reinforces the numbers one and two in a meaningful context, introduces numbers up to 10, and also teaches the vocabulary for body parts.