The counting words always come in the same order. One to ten, every time, for everything.
Step 1: Let's Learn
Read it, or press Listen and follow the words.
Count with me
Touch each apple as you count. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Now count them again, starting from the other end. Still ten. The order of the words never changed.
Why the order can never change
If the words came in a different order each time, the last one would change too. Then it could not tell you how many.
Step 2: Try It Yourself
Tap to add. Count out loud each time.
How many in all
How many
That is a full ten!
Step 3: In Real Life
Hide and seek
You cover your eyes. You count to ten. One, two, three, all the way to ten. Then you shout: ready or not!
Step 4: Watch an Example
One step at a time.
Watch Mia Count Seven Apples
Mia has seven apples in a row.
- Step 1
She touches the first apple and says one.
Step 5: Your Turn
Practice makes it stick.
The Fruit Bowl
Problem 1 of 1
Six oranges in the bowl. How many oranges?
Count Them All
1 of 4
How many?
2 of 4
How many?
3 of 4
What comes after nine?
4 of 4
You counted to eight. How many are there?
Make Ten
Fill the boxes.
Fill all ten boxes.
How many
Step 6: Quick Check
Show what you know.
Question 1 of 1
How many?
What You Learned
- Numbers always come in the same order.
- One number for each object.
- The last number is how many.
For the grown-up
Every object gets exactly one number, and every number gets exactly one object. Nothing counted twice, nothing skipped.
Counting one thing twice makes your answer too big. Missing one makes it too small. Both happen when your finger and your voice get out of step.
The last number you say tells you how many there are. You do not count again to find out — the counting already answered it.
Seven is not the name of the last object. Seven is how big the whole set is.