All Activities
Maths

Counting Collections

Overview

Children choose objects to count and decide how to organise them.

Learning Objective
Children count objects carefully and keep track of what they have counted.

Resources needed

  • Collections of objects (stones, sticks, bottle caps)
  • Containers (cups, trays, bowls)
  • Paper and pencil

Lesson stages

0 / 7 done
  1. 1 Children choose a collection of objects to count.
  2. 2 Ask: 'How will you count them?'
  3. 3 Encourage children to move objects as they count.
  4. 4 Group objects to help counting if needed.
  5. 5 Ask: 'How many are there?'
  6. 6 Check by counting again.
  7. 7 Record the number by drawing or writing.

Tap a step to mark it as done.

Variations

  • Count in groups (e.g. 2s or 5s)
  • Compare different collections
  • Estimate before counting
More information

Demonstrate moving objects from one side to another as you count. This physical separation aids tracking.

Provide smaller collections for children who are still developing one-to-one correspondence.

Do children use a strategy to track what has been counted? Can they recount and get the same result?

Collections can be gathered from the outdoors before the session. Cups or folded paper serve as containers for grouping. Pencil on any paper or in soil works for recording.

Children frequently skip objects or count some twice when dealing with loose collections. Moving counted objects physically to a separate pile is the most reliable strategy to model.

Activity details
Early Years Medium 20–30 minutes 5 minutes prep Solo, Pairs Indoor & Outdoor
Topics
Counting