Are Counting Toys for 2 Year Olds Necessary?

Children learn to count during every day experiences. Parents and caregivers teach toddlers to count when they are placing “one, two, three” cheerios in a bowl. Together the child and adult will count the stairs as they climb up or down.  2 year olds learn to count when their parents recite nursery rhymes (“one, two, buckle my shoe”) or read number story books. Grandparents sing “the ants go marching one by one….”.With so many opportunities to learn to count why do you need to provide countingtoys for 2 year olds?

Learning to count by rote or memory, as shown in the above examples, is a first and very important step in acknowledging that numbers exist.  However it is very different from understanding numbers;numerals must be related to mathematical concepts. A child who can recite numbers doesn’tnecessarily know what they actually mean. best toys for 2 year old boys build on the recognition of numbers in vocabulary and relay this to the foundations of math concepts.

A basic concept is the matching of the word “one” to one object, and “two” to two objects, and so on. A quality best toddler toys for 2 year old provides this opportunity. Matching a plastic bear to one dot along with the numeral one reinforces this concept. It is visual and hands on. It reinforces the understanding of number sense.

Best learning toys for 2 year olds go beyond simple rote counting. They provide the opportunity to learn the language of math. 2 plastic bears are more than one. Three are less than 4. 2 red bears are equal to 2 blue bears.

Best interactive toys for toddlers can also contribute to awareness of geometry. Placing 3 red bears in a row, then 3 blue bears and 3 green bears shows a pattern. 3 red, 2 blue and 1 green shows another pattern.

There are manyvarieties of counting toys for two year olds.  There are games, puzzles, building blocks and nesting cups. Withadult guidance almost any toddler toy can encourage counting and number sense. The best toys let children explore numbers ontheir own and reinforce their understanding.  An example of a simple and traditional counting toy that can be integrated into multiple learning occasions is the Skoolzy.com 6 PC PLAYING DICE GAME NIGHT MATH MANIPULATIVE.

This colorful and sturdy dice set can be used in many play situations – roll the dice and match the dots to the number of plastic bears. Roll the dice and add the bears. Roll again and take away.

Adults play a large part in teaching toddlers to count. Using nuts and bolts toys for toddlers reinforce the learning and simply add to the child’s success. 

For more information click here. Block sets for toddlers, peg boards for toddlers, educational toys for toddlers and preschoolers