Counting Things I See
Part of the Math for Young Minds curriculum — designed for neurodivergent students, grounded in real-world examples.
📋 Session plan (for teachers)
Session 1 — Counting things I see
Kindergarten · Math for Young Minds Total time: ~17 minutes Common Core: K.CC.A.1, K.CC.B.4, K.CC.B.5 Today's idea: Each thing gets one number. The last number you say is how many.
What students will be able to do
By the end of this session, the student can:
- Point at things one at a time while saying number names in order.
- Say how many things are in a group (1–10).
- Notice that the last number they say is the answer.
Materials
- A box of crayons for each pair of students (4–10 crayons per box is fine)
- A small basket or paper plate (to hold the crayons)
- Worksheet (one per student)
- Pencil or crayon for marking
Substitution: No crayons? Use anything you have 4–10 of: paper clips, pasta pieces, beans, blocks, buttons. Avoid tiny or sharp things.
New words
| Word | Meaning we use in class |
|---|---|
| count | To point at things one by one and say a number for each. |
| how many | The total — the last number we say. |
That's the entire vocabulary for today. No other terms.
Heads-up — common confusions
- Skipping or doubling. A child may point at a crayon and say "two" for it. Gently slow down. "Let's go again — one crayon, one number."
- Counting in the air. Some kids will say numbers without pointing. Slow them down by guiding their finger.
- Memorizing without understanding. A child who can recite "1–2–3–4–5" might still not know what 5 means. The goal today is pointing, not reciting.
- "How many?" A child may recount everything when asked. That's fine and developmentally normal. We're building the idea that the last number is the answer.
Plan
1 · Hello & today's idea — 2 min
"Today we're going to count things together. Counting is when we look at something and say a number for it."
Hold up 3 crayons. Slowly count them out loud: "One. Two. Three. Three crayons."
Pause on that last word. Hold up your three fingers too.
2 · Hands-on explore — 5 min
Hand each pair of students a small basket of crayons (4–10).
"Spread your crayons out on the table. Touch each one. Say a number for each one. Like this — one, two, three."
Walk around. Watch for:
- Pointing or touching as they say each number.
- Stopping when they've touched all the crayons.
- Saying "how many" in a way that means the total.
If you see a child reciting "1–2–3–4–5" without pointing, kneel beside them and gently guide their finger to each crayon.
After ~3 minutes, ask one pair:
"How many crayons does your group have?"
Listen for whether they say the last number, or recount.
3 · Connect to the math — 3 min
Stand at the front. Show 5 crayons on a plate.
"Let's count these together. Point with me."
Count slowly, pointing: one, two, three, four, five. Pause.
"How many?" Wait. Let them say it. "Five. The last number is how many."
Repeat with a different group of crayons (try 7).
"Here's the secret of counting: the last number you say is how many there are."
4 · Practice with support — 5 min
Pass out the worksheet. Stand near students who need extra help.
"On your paper, you'll see groups of things. Touch each one. Say a number for each. The last number is how many. Then circle the right number."
Do problem 1 together at the board. Then let students try problems 2–4 with a neighbor.
If a child is stuck, slow them down. Point with their finger.
5 · What we did + Try at home — 2 min
"Today you learned how to count. Each thing gets one number. The last number is how many."
Hold up 4 fingers. "How many?" Wait. "Four. You did it."
Wave the family guide.
"Take this home. Tonight, count something with someone in your family. It can be anything — your shoes, your toys, the steps in your house."
Observation rubric — what to notice in this session
Use this during the session, not as a test. One observation per student is plenty.
| Where the student is | What you'd see |
|---|---|
| Developing | May skip items, double-count, or say numbers without pointing. Needs your hand to guide. |
| Using | Points at each item once, says each number once, can answer "how many?" with the last number. |
| Extending | Recognizes a small group's size without counting ("That's 3!"). Or starts counting groups of 10+. |
No fail state. "Developing" today is "using" next week.
What's next (Session 2)
In Session 2 — Counting bigger groups (10–20), we keep the same pointing-and-counting habit but with bigger numbers — windows in the room, steps on a stairway, friends in the class.
✏️ Worksheet (for students)
Math for Young Minds · Kindergarten
1 · Counting things I see
[ Hello ] → [ Explore ] → [ Connect ] → [ Practice ← we are here ] → [ Try at home ]
My name: _____________________________
Today
Point. Say a number. The last number is how many.
Problem 1 — together
How many crayons?
✏️ ✏️ ✏️
Touch each one. Count out loud.
➤ How many?
┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ 1 │ │ 2 │ │ 3 │ │ 4 │ │ 5 │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
└──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘
Circle the number.
Problem 2 — on your own
How many apples?
🍎 🍎 🍎 🍎 🍎
➤ Circle the number:
┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐
│ 3 │ │ 4 │ │ 5 │ │ 6 │ │ 7 │ │ 8 │
└──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘
Problem 3 — on your own
How many fish?
🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟
➤ Circle the number:
┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐
│ 5 │ │ 6 │ │ 7 │ │ 8 │ │ 9 │ │ 10 │
└──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘
Problem 4 — stretch
Draw 4 stars:
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ │
│ │
│ │
│ │
│ │
│ │
│ │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Now look. How many stars did you draw?
Circle the number:
┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐ ┌──────┐
│ 2 │ │ 3 │ │ 4 │ │ 5 │ │ 6 │
└──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘ └──────┘
🏠 Try at home tonight
Count something with someone in your family. Anything! Some ideas:
- Your shoes
- Steps to your bed
- Toys on the floor
- Spoons in the drawer
- Windows in one room
Touch. Say a number. The last number is how many.
🏠 Family guide (for parents)
Math for Young Minds · Kindergarten · Session 1
Tonight: count something together
What your child did today
In class today, we practiced counting.
The big idea: when you count, each thing gets one number, and the last number you say is how many there are.
We counted crayons, fingers, and a couple of small groups together.
This sounds simple. It's actually one of the most important math skills your child will ever learn.
Why this matters
A 5-year-old can often recite "1, 2, 3, 4, 5" before they really understand what counting means.
Real counting is two ideas working together:
- Each thing gets one number (you can't skip or double-count).
- The last number you say is the total (you don't need to count again to find out "how many").
These two ideas — called one-to-one correspondence and cardinality if you ever want to look them up — are the foundation for everything else: addition, subtraction, place value, multiplication, everything.
We are not in a rush. The goal is understanding, not speed.
🏠 Try this tonight (1 minute)
Pick something you have. Anything in groups of 3 to 10 works.
| Easy starters |
|---|
| Shoes by the door |
| Steps from the couch to the kitchen |
| Spoons in a drawer |
| Toys in a basket |
| Windows in one room |
| Petals on a flower |
| Stuffed animals on the bed |
The script:
"Let's count these together. Touch each one. Say a number for each."
Help them point at each thing as they say the number. Move slowly.
When they finish, ask:
"How many?"
If they recount, that's fine — totally normal at this age. Over time, they'll start trusting that the last number IS the answer, and they won't need to recount.
Words your child is learning
- Count — point at things one by one and say a number for each
- How many — the total — the last number we say
That's the whole list for today.
If your child says…
"I already know how to count."
Wonderful. Ask them to count something a bit bigger — say 8 or 10 things. Watch whether they slow down, point at each one, and say each number clearly. Speed isn't the win here. Accuracy is.
"That's too easy."
Great. Try a quick game: hide some of the things under a cloth or your hand. "How many do you think are under here?" (Don't peek.) Then count to check. They're learning that they can estimate, then verify.
"I don't want to."
That's okay. Try again tomorrow with something they actually like — Lego pieces, snacks, stuffed animals. Math at this age should feel like noticing the world, not doing work.
What's next
In our next session, we'll practice the same skill with bigger numbers — windows, steps, classmates. Same idea, just more practice.
Thanks for taking a minute tonight. These small kitchen-table moments are where math lives.
— Math for Young Minds
🔑 Cheat sheet (visual)
🔢 How to count
Step 1 — Touch each one.
✏️ ✏️ ✏️ ✏️
☝️ ☝️ ☝️ ☝️
Step 2 — Say a number for each.
✏️ ✏️ ✏️ ✏️
"one" "two" "three" "four"
One number per crayon. Not two numbers for one. Not one number for two.
Step 3 — The last number is how many.
✏️ ✏️ ✏️ ✏️
↑
"four"
4 crayons
Try with your fingers
👆 ✋ ✌️ 👌
| You see | You say |
|---|---|
| One finger | "one" |
| Two fingers | "one, two" → two |
| Three fingers | "one, two, three" → three |
| Four fingers | "one, two, three, four" → four |
| Five fingers | "one, two, three, four, five" → five |
The Big Rules
✅ Touch each thing. ✅ Say one number for one thing. ✅ The last number is how many.
❌ Don't skip. ❌ Don't say two numbers for one thing. ❌ Don't say one number for two things.
🌟 You can count anything
shoes 👟 👟 steps 🚶 🚶 🚶
toys 🧸 🧸 🧸 stars ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
apples 🍎 🍎 cats 🐱 🐱
Pick something. Touch. Say a number. The last number is how many.