Grade by Grade
Strand A: Foundations of Language and Mathematics · Numbers and Counting

Touch and Count: One Number for Each Thing

A6.8 A6.6About 20 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can touch each thing one time and say one number.
  • I can move or line things up so I don't count them twice.
  • I can match things one to one, like one cup for each friend.

Words to know

one-to-one
One number for each thing. One touch, one number.
match
Put one thing with one other thing, like one sock on each foot.
enough
There is one for everybody, with none missing.

A teddy bear tea party

Grown-up: read aloud.

It's a tea party! Some teddy bears came. Let's count them. Touch each bear one time and say one number.

🧸🧸🧸🧸🧸
Touch each bear once: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. There are 5 bears.

One touch, one number

When we count things, we give one number to each thing.

  • Touch one thing. Say one number.
  • Don't skip anything.
  • Don't touch anything two times.

This is called one-to-one counting.

Three teddy bears sit on little chairs around a small table with a toy teapot and tea cups.
Touch each teddy bear one time and say one number. How many bears came to the tea party? AI-generated image

Helpers for careful counting

  • Move it: slide each thing to a "done" pile as you count it.
  • Line it up: put things in a straight row first.
  • Point slowly: your finger and your voice go at the same speed.
Worked example

Let's count apples into a bowl

There are some apples on the table. How many are there?

  1. Pick up one apple. Put it in the bowl. Say 1.
  2. Pick up the next apple. Put it in the bowl. Say 2.
  3. Keep going, one apple, one number: 3, 4, 5, 6.
  4. No apples are left on the table. We are done!

There are 6 apples.

🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎
Six apples. Point to each one as you count.
Worked example

Is there one scarf for each child?

Four children are going out to play in the snow. Here are the scarves. Is there one scarf for each child?

  1. Match: give the first child a scarf.
  2. Give the second child a scarf, then the third child.
  3. The fourth child has no scarf. There are no scarves left.
  4. So there are not enough scarves.

No. There are 4 children and only 3 scarves. One child still needs a scarf.

🧒🧒🧒🧒🧣🧣🧣
Top row: 4 children. Bottom row: 3 scarves. Match each scarf to a child. One child has no scarf.
Just for fun

Funny but true: an octopus has 8 arms. 🐙 If an octopus played touch and count, it could touch 8 things at the same time!

Hands-on activity

Set the table and fill the egg carton

You need: plates or spoons, an empty egg carton or muffin tin, and small things like dry pasta, buttons, or cereal.

  1. Set the table. Put one plate at each chair. Count the plates. Count the chairs. Are they the same?
  2. Egg carton fill. Put one piece of pasta in each cup of the egg carton. Count as you go.
  3. Toy line-up. Line up some toys. Count them by touching each one.

Math talk: "How did you make sure you didn't count one twice?"

Safety: watch small children closely with small items like buttons or beads.

Your turn

1

Touch and count the fish.

🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟

2

Touch and count the stars.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

3

Touch and count the strawberries.

🍓🍓🍓🍓

4

Is there one bone for each dog?

🐶🐶🐶

🦴🦴🦴

5

Is there one carrot for each bunny?

🐰🐰🐰🐰

🥕🥕🥕

6

Grown-up: clap 3 times, slowly. How many claps did you hear?

More practice: warm-up

1

How many balloons?

🎈🎈

2

How many ducks?

🦆🦆🦆

3

How many cars?

🚗🚗🚗🚗

4

How many flowers?

🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼

5

How many hearts?

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

More practice: on your own

1

Touch and count the maple leaves.

🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁🍁

2

Touch and count the soccer balls.

⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽⚽

3

There are 6 children and these cups. Is there one cup for each child?

🧒🧒🧒🧒🧒🧒

🥤🥤🥤🥤🥤

4

Touch and count the ladybugs.

🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞🐞

5

Jump 4 times. Count each jump out loud.

Challenge

1

Count the snowflakes. Tip: point slowly!

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

2

Count the dots. They are in rows of 5.

🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵

🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵

🔵🔵🔵🔵🔵

3

Lila counted these ducks and said "1, 2, 3, 4, 5." What went wrong?

🦆🦆🦆🦆

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which is the right way to count toys?

2.

How many apples?

🍎🍎🍎

3.

Is there a bone for every dog?

🐶🐶🐶

🦴🦴

4.

How many stars?

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

For parents and teachers

Big idea: One-to-one correspondence means each object gets exactly one counting word. Matching (one plate per person) is the same idea without numbers, and it is the start of comparing groups.

Common difficulties:

  • Finger and voice don't match. The child points faster or slower than they talk. Slow down together, or have them move each item as they count.
  • Losing track in a messy pile or a circle. Show them how to push counted items aside, or line them up first. With a circle, put a marker (like a sock) where they started.
  • Recounting the same item. Normal at this age. Praise the fix: "You checked again. Great!"

How to help: Let your child do real jobs: set the table, hand out snacks ("one for each person"), put one sock in each boot. Count food pieces, steps, and toys. Kindergarten children often count small groups well before they can count big groups. Start with 5 or fewer and build up.