Count and Match: 1 to 5

The numbers 1 to 5 run down the left side of the page in big bold boxes. Down the right side are five boxes of pictures in mixed-up order: three ducks, five cupcakes, one sailboat, two apples and four butterflies. Your child counts each group and draws a line from the number's dot to the dot beside the box with that many.

Matching a small group to its numeral is one of the first steps from reciting counting words to understanding what a number stands for. Groups of five or fewer, set out in a straight row, let a young child point to each picture once and keep track without losing their place.

Count one group together first, pointing to each picture, then say the last number again: "Three. There are three ducks." Then let your child find the 3 on the left and draw the line.