Appropriate grades or age groups:
Preschool and Younger

Estimated time to complete project or implement technique:
10-20 minutes.

Materials needed (if applicable):
None

Project instructions or description of technique:
Where better to learn basic counting skills than your own fingers and toes! This age-old method is one worth repeating.

1. Start counting to your child at a very early age.

2. One great place for counting with your child is the bathtub.

3. Talk about how many eyes, ears, fingers, toes etc. your child has while you play in the tub.

4. Touch your child? toes (eyes, ears etc.) one at a time while you count them.

5. Once your child begins to speak, ask her to show you where her toes are and to count how many of them she has.

6. Praise her for how well she's done.

7. Teach your child to hold up her fingers when she starts counting. For instance, when you ask how many eyes she has, she'll hold up two fingers. Believe it or not, simple counting games like this will help your child more quickly grasp mathematical concepts as she matures.