How Can I Teach a First Grader to Recognize Numbers?
Learning to recognize numbers is the groundwork from which children will learn about the rest of math. According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, instruction is more successful if multiple learning styles (visual, aural, physical) are engaged simultaneously. Linda Wilson, a retired kindergarten teacher and curriculum writer, adds, "A child's attention span is only as long as his or her age, so you've got to engage them in fun ways for quick periods of time. Make learning a game and they will learn quicker." When teaching a first grader numbers, remember that success will happen quickest if the activity is fun.
Things You'll Need
Fun, child-friendly calendar
Markers
Index Cards
Toys, buttons, or beans
Paper
Markers or Crayons
Sidewalk Chalk
Poster Board
Bean Bags
Shaving Cream
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Instructions
Counting Days
1
Your calendar should be fun.
Count the days of the month using a fun, well labeled, child-friendly calendar. Have the child point to each day as you count.
2
Make your own flash cards.
Write the numbers 1-10 on index cards, making a homemade flash card set. Use toys, buttons or beans as counters.
3
Children learn by doing.
Write each number on a separate sheet of paper and have the child draw the correct number of flowers, bugs or dinosaurs on the paper. You could also cut pictures out of magazines or use stickers. These can be stapled together and used as a counting book.
4
Turn learning into a game.
Write the numbers on a counter using shaving cream. If the child recognizes the numbers, he gets to play with the shaving cream.
5
Hopscotch teaches both numbers and physical development.
Draw a hopscotch game on the concrete and have the child call out the numbers he or she is stepping on.