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Help Your Child Understand One-to-One Correspondence

by Rae Pica

 One-to-one correspondence is the ability to match numbers to objects or object to object; for example, the numbers one to five matching five blocks, or matching one sock to one shoe. Counting begins to go from rote memorization to an understanding of one-to-one correspondence when children have something fun to count. Here are three games you can play that will help your child begin to understand this concept.

How Many Steps? Ask your child to stand on one side of the room or yard and invite her to see how many steps it takes to get to the other side. Encourage your child to count aloud as she goes. It’s as simple as that! 

You can use this activity anywhere – counting the number of steps it takes to cross the playground, to circle a room, or to move down the hall and out the door. You can also use this as an opportunity to practice other motor skills. Instead of steps, invite your child to discover how many jumps or hops it takes to get from one place to another. 

Pop & Count. Chasing bubbles promotes cardiovascular endurance (running) and muscular strength and endurance (jumping), but when you add counting to the mix, it becomes a mathematics experience! 

You’ll need a bottle of bubble solution and an outside space for this game. Simply blow bubbles for your child to chase and pop. Each time he pops one, he counts it. When you reach numbers that are too high for him to count, you can help out. 

If you have more than one child playing, make it a rule that no child is allowed to pop two bubbles in a row. Also, each child increases the previous number by one. For example, if your child pops the first bubble, she calls out “one.” If her friend pops the second bubble, he calls out “two.”