Counting activities for toddlers at home need only a few large toys. Start with three blocks, toy cars or other familiar playthings. Sit together and move one object at a time as you say a number. You can finish after a single round.

1. Give every toy a place

Put three toys in a row. Touch the first and say “one”, then the next for “two” and the last for “three”. Invite your child to move a toy while you say its number.

Take turns. You can do the moving while your child speaks, or say the numbers together. If they say a different number or move two toys at once, show your own turn again without turning it into a test.

Use fewer toys if that makes the game easier to follow. One car arriving at a pretend garage can be a complete round.

2. Move the group and count again

Push the same toys into a little cluster. Ask, “Shall we count these?” Move them back into a row as you count.

You are using the same objects in a different arrangement. You can point out, “We still have three.” The aim of this round is to count this group together, not to ask your child for a rule or an explanation.

3. Make a group for a toy guest

Put a large toy bear beside you. Say, “Bear would like two blocks.” Help your child choose a block, then another, and put them beside Bear. Count what you placed together.

Swap roles and let your child ask for a group for you to make. Keep the numbers small enough that both of you can follow the objects. The toy can ask for one, two or three again.

When you want to count further

If your child wants another round, add more large toys and count towards 10. You can use fewer again at any time. There is no need to reach 10 to finish the activity.

Use the number words your family knows. An Arabic-speaking parent might say واحد، اثنان، ثلاثة. Another family might use English. You can keep one language for a round and choose the other on another day.

Counting inside Baby Phone

Baby Phone has numbers 1 to 10 in Arabic and English, with dates pictured for counting. You switch the game language in the parents’ area. Its games work offline, have no ads and do not collect data. The toy activities above need no app.

For a change of pace, try a pretend phone call with a greeting and goodbye.