Counting Snacks One by One Game

Snack foods with countable pieces — crackers, blueberries, cereal, or cheese cubes

A plate and a bowl

Choose snacks with individual pieces and keep them in a bowl beside your toddler's plate.

Place the first piece on the plate. "One!" Point to it and touch it.

Add the second. "Two!" Touch both as you count.

Continue to 5, touching each piece. This touching-and-counting is one-to-one correspondence.

Ask: "How many do we have? Let's count again!" Count together by pointing.

Let your toddler eat the snacks — then do it again. "Five more!"

Try comparing: put 3 on one side of the plate, 5 on the other. "Which side has more?"

Always touch each item as you count. Pointing from a distance doesn't build the same connection.

Start with just 3-5 items. Counting beyond 5 is a separate skill that develops later.

Let your toddler place the pieces themselves while you count together. They'll start to internalize the sequence.

Compare amounts when you can: "You have three, I have four. Who has more?" This builds quantity comparison.

Avoid correcting wrong counts harshly. Just recount together naturally — "Let's count again!"