Nurturing

Numbers
How to Playfully
Nurture Mathematical
Literacy in Toddlers

A Guide by:
TM
 ...the absorption of
mathematical knowledge can be
natural, easy, and a source of
joy; the joy of one who discovers
in himself powers that he had
not even suspected...

Dr. Maria Montessori

We are on a number revolution. Math has been known to be the

evil bad guy for way too long. Parents dread teaching math

and children dread learning it from us too. But we're here to

change this. Learning and teaching math can be super fun and

engaging, and not complicated at all.

You really don't need any fancy tools, materials, worksheets, or

manipulatives to start nurturing a love of numbers. Nothing

fancy at all. This guide is full of ways to make numeracy

conversational and playful. Numbers are all around us.

Children can see them everywhere. They have an innate sense

of quantity. You know, when your two your two year old says,

"that's not fair!" when his baby sister has more blueberries than

he does.

I personally love this process because it is so much fun and you

don't need any special preparations or activities. It also doesn't

have to be something that you need to "formally" do. This isn't

school. This is real life learning.

I believe in your ability to be the guide your child needs.

In this guide, you will find dialogues on how to speak in

"math", how to present the concept of quantity, how to

introduce number symbols, and more.

Happy Counting!
Introducing

Quantity
Number symbols and quantity... are they the same thing?

They're actually two different ideas and concepts. Number

symbols are abstract figures that represent an amount. This 1, is

not 'one'. It's just the symbol that represents the quantity of one.

I'm going to start with what you shouldn't be doing. Let's just get this

out of the way.

Don't show a child these 10 things:

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

JUST YET. Okay but seriously, I don't mean that you should cover
their eyes everytime you go out and there are numbers. What i

mean to say is, don't show them '5' and say, this is five.

It actually isn't. this: '5' is just a symbol that represents

One of the biggest mistakes people make when starting to

introduce counting and numbers to toddlers is that they start by

showing them number symbols and telling them that this is "one".

What should you do instead? Count things instead. Introduce

QUANTITIES through playful interactions at home and outside in

one apple. You have two blocks in your hand. There

nature. This is

are five people in this room. I see one tree here and one tree there.

Use the Three Period Game to introduce the concept.

 Three Period Game Cheat
Sheet
First Period: This is...
In the first period, you show the child an item, and tell what it
is. You simply introduce the name of the item. Easy and simple.

You might have to do it a couple of times, but don't expect a

child to remember it during the first period.

Second Period: Show me...

This is my favorite part. Once you've told them the name of

something, you play some really silly and fun games. What you
want to test here is if the child grasped and retained the name

of the item. My favorite game to play is play hide and seek. Ask

the child to "hide" one object at a time. So for example, put '1'

on your head! Put it in your shirt. Put '4' on your nose. Hide '7'

under your pillow! This is so fun to play and kids love it!

Third Period: What is this...

In the third period, you test to see if they can recall the name
of the object on their own. Pretend like you forgot the name of

the item. "Oh no, i can't even remember what this is! Can you

tell me!?" Or play hide and seek again, but this time, your child

asks YOU to hide the objects, which would mean that they
would have to recall the name of the object. After you hide the

object, you can play Hot and Cold to find the objects and then
they would have to tell you what the object they found is

called.
Creative ways to introduce counting with
things you can find at home or outside

Three Things to Keep in Mind:

1. Start with 'one' and then gradually move up to 10.

2. Introduce only one to two quantities at a time.

3. Use alternating colors or items for odd and even

numbers, if possible.

4. DON'T go beyond 10.

legos leaves
colored marbles or circles

pine cones and sticks

blocks
 Fun Number Conversations

There are simply some ideas to help you get started.

always keep the child's capabilities in mind when doing

this. This is mainly an exercise in language.

I have one! You have two! See, one... two.

Let's find five things outside

Oh, I see two trees here, and one tree there! Now there are

three trees!

I have two spoons in my hand.

Wow! Look at the ducks in the lake. One, two, thee, four, five,

six...

How many people are here? So how many spoons do we need?

Jump, one! two! three! four! five!

 Why You Should Stop at 10

You might be curious about why you should stop counting at 10,

after all, conventional wisdom applauds a child who can count

all the way to 100 at 2. Conventional wisdom has it all wrong.

*press the incorrect answer button* Montessori stops

counting at 10 and moves on to the decimal system instead.

Montessori goes straight to the big stuff. While conventional

Math curriculums introduce the decimal system in third or

fourth grade, Montessori goes straight into the heart of

mathematics.

The decimal system is the base of all of math. Mastering the

decimal system, means you master math. The decimal system is

introduced as soon as a child can count to 10. Numbers beyond

10 are introduced after mastering the concept of units, tens,

hundreds, and thousands. This also makes it a lot easier to

count much larger numbers later on.

Introducing
Number
Symbols

1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10
 Now that your child knows how identify quantity up to 10, you
can introduce these pretty little symbols that everyone loves

so much. You never thought this day would come, did you?

Your patience is going to pay off!

This is a really simple process.

1. First you start with a symbol, show it to your child and tell
them what it is. Start with two to three at a time Play the Three

Period Game with the symbols.

2. Once you've introduced at least three symbols, match them

up with the appropriate quantity. In the traditional Montessori

curriculum, number rods are used, but if you don't have number

rods, feel free to use the items in the previous page.

You really don't have to get fancy with this. Write down
numbers on cardstock or even paper. Cut them out of

cardboard or felt.

5 1 2 3 4 5
4
3
2
1
Creating
Muscle
Memory
After solidifying quantities and symbol

recognition, we move on to creating

muscle memory in preparation for

writing.

We really don't expect three and four

year olds to be writing anything at all

with a pencil ✏.

Before any of that can happen, they

need to strengthen their fine motor

skills, so instead, we give them tools to

create muscle memory...

The nerves in our hand are wired directly to 70-80% of our brain.
Using hands-on tools such as sandpaper, felt, or wooden numbers

allows the nerves in the hand to directly deliver the information to

the brain . 

How do you present this?

One to two numbers at a time,

show the child how you trace the

number. Then allow them to trace

it.

Once they can trace, introduce a

sand tray to write numbers in to

provide a wholesome sensorial

experience!
 Zero
Means Nothing
 Did you think about zero?
Zero just doesn't get the love it deserves. It sits there on the

side lines, lonely and desolate. No one talks about him.

But the truth is, zero is so important. He might mean nothing to

you, but for one, two three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine,

he means the world. He navigates their place in a confusing

world... you get my drift? 😅

In Montessori, zero is taught as a concept along with the rest

of the numbers. I don't think this needs much explanation. Most

of the time, a child will understand what 0 is when you tell them

that it means nothing. Traditionally, a spindle box like the one

pictured is used to introduce the idea of

zero, but you can play other

fun games if you don't have

a spindle box.

M a t h es
The Zero Game
s o ri
1. Tell the child you are going to play the zero game,
assuming you have already explained the idea of zero.

2. Bring nothing with you the the work mat.

3. Ask the child how many things are on the mat.

4. If they understand, they may say zero. If not, be fun and

light and say "zero! I have zero, because zero means

nothing!"

5. Have a good laugh!

 Playing
Games
This is a list of extra games that you can incorporate.

These games will usually come at the end, after the

child has mastered all of the concepts mentioned in

this guide.

Match the numbers: With two sets of number

cards, line one set up and use cards from the

next set to match them up.

Memory games: Lay two sets of number cards

upside down. Flip two cards at a time to find

matching sets. Ask the child, 'what is this?'

when a pair is found.

Roll the dice: Roll dice and count the dots.

Find the corresponding number symbol that

represents the quantity.

This brings us to the end of the Nurturing Numbers