What is counting?

Have you ever wondered how we know how many apples are in a basket, or how many friends are at a party? We use something called counting! Counting is when we say numbers in order — 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 — and point to one thing each time we say a number. When we reach the last thing, that last number tells us how many there are altogether. It is one of the very first and most useful things we learn in math!

Here is a cosy example: imagine you have a little bowl of strawberries on the table. You point to the first one and say "1," the second one and say "2," the third one and say "3." You have pointed to every strawberry, so there are 3 strawberries. The last number you said — 3 — is the answer!

Here is another example from a normal day: you are putting on your shoes before school. You look at one shoe and say "1," then you look at the other shoe and say "2." You have 2 shoes. Counting helped you check that you have both shoes — brilliant!

Now here is a little question just for you to think about: If you counted 4 crayons on your desk, what does that number 4 tell you about your crayons?