At First 5 California, one of our core focuses is ensuring parents and caregivers of young children are aware of the importance of talking, reading, and singing. Engaging with a young child in these ways helps to build critical neural connections in the brain and puts them on a path for lifelong success.
Counting is another activity that will help them become even more ready for school and life. Studies have shown that early exposure to simple math skills helps children develop familiarity and comfort with math, increases their confidence, sets the foundation for more advanced concepts, and helps with learning other subjects.
Many children learn how to recite numbers, but they also benefit from counting, which involves more cognitive activity and an understanding that each item is assigned a particular number or value, and the last item counted represents the total quantity.