Learn to count to 3

💡 How it plays and why it helps

At the top of every card sits a small chart: 1, 2 and 3, each with die dots and a hand of fingers. Learn to count to 3 leans on that chart. Below it come the things to count, such as pink ties, red caps, yellow cars or donuts, side by side. The instruction is read aloud, and your Pre-K child taps Number 1, Number 2 or Number 3. The bank holds as many ones as twos and threes. Five cards make a round, each answer checked with the count said again.

Three faces, one number. A child who counts three ties, then finds three dots and three fingers on the chart, is learning that one number can be written, seen and shown with a hand. The hint adds the rule that makes counting work: touch each tie once, and the last word tells how many.

With three ties in a row, the last one sometimes gets a look but no word, and the count stops at 2. Hold up three fingers beside the screen and ask, "Does my hand match your ties?" Then praise the touching: "One touch for each tie."