Counting, counting everywhere

Counting is something we all do in our daily lives without even thinking about it. Whether it's how many coffees I can have before it impacts my sleep, how many steps it takes to get to my workspace, or how many minutes until lunchtime, counting is something I use every day. It's fascinating how this simple skill plays such a big role in so many areas of life. For primary school students, counting is foundational to understanding number sequences, quantities, and place value—all of which are essential for mastering operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Counting also helps with grasping more advanced concepts like fractions, measurement, and even early algebra through recognizing patterns and relationships between numbers. Since counting is so fundamental, it's often one of the first concepts taught at the start of the school year to ensure students have a solid base for future mathematical learning. But counting isn’t just something we do in the classroom—it’s a vital skill in everyday life, too. From telling time and managing money to measuring ingredients for cooking, we rely on counting in countless ways. 

Here are three ways you can continue to incorporate counting at home, without even realising you’re practising counting! 

Family board games. Board games are a fantastic way to practise counting as well as number recognition. A simple game of snakes and ladders requires you to recognise the number on the dice (use two dice and add them together or even multiple them for an added challenge!) count the number of spaces you’re moving, read the numbers on the board and count backwards if you land on a snake! 

Cooking. Cooking is a great way to practise number recognition, count how many teaspoons, tablespoons or cups are going into a recipe and also introduce fractions in a practical way. You also end up with a delicious treat at the end and you can divide up how many each person in the family gets too - even more counting! 

Going walking. You could count how many birds you see, you can practise skip counting by looking at houses or even look at the time to see how long it took you to go for your walk. Simple ways to include numbers whilst also getting some fresh air! 

Happy counting everyone!