Being able to count includes both procedural skills and conceptual understanding. First of all, children must be able to follow the procedure of saying the number words in the correct order. They must also demonstrate one-to-one correspondence by saying only one of these counting words as they point to each item. Finally, children must understand conceptually that when counting is done correctly, the final number is the answer to "how many." Today we practiced all three of these skills as we made a batch of delicious chocolate chip cookies. Nothing motivates quality counting practice more than a giant bag of chocolate!
