This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click through one of my links and make a purchase, I will receive a commission.
Does your preschooler know how to count? My son is confident with counting up to 20 now, but he used to skip 15 all the time. One day he counted the letters on his alphabet puzzle and told me there were 25 letters. I said I was quite sure that there were 26 letters in the alphabet. “Are you sure you didn’t skip number 15 again?” I teased. Sure enough, that’s what happened.
Whether your child is just beginning to learn to count or has mastered counting, now is the perfect time to make counting books.
As a prelude to this book making activity, you’ll want to get your hands on some quality counting books. You can find five counting books your preschooler will love in this post.
After reading a counting book, invite your child to make her own counting book. Remember to keep it light. If your child doesn’t want to make a book, don’t push it. You can ask again another day, or tell your child she can play while you make a counting book. Chances are she’ll get interested in what you’re doing and want to join you.
Providing a purpose for making a counting book will increase motivation. Does your child have a younger sibling or friend that could use a counting book to learn how to count? Ask your child if they would like to gift to that friend.
How to Make Counting Books With Preschoolers
- Decide the range of numbers for your book. One to five or one to twenty. If your child is really good with numbers, make a skip counting book. Count by 2s, 5s, or 10s.
- Gather enough pieces of paper so you have one page per number. Or print out a counting book template we’ve provided.
- Write each number largely on each page. Or print out the numbers and glue them onto each page.
- Create illustrations for each page.
- Make a front cover with a title and author’s name (your child)
- Assemble book and staple. Or, for more durability, laminate and bind at your local office supply store.
Ideas for Illustrating Your Counting Book
- Draw simple shapes or pictures
Let your preschooler’s creativity shine. If your child needs some guidance, give prompts to help. For example, if he wants to make a ladybug, ask him what shape the body is? How many legs? Does a ladybug has spots? What colors do you see on a ladybug? Talking it through may be all he needs to feel confident.
- Do thumbprint art
Grab some tempera paint. Your child can count as she stamps her thumbprint across the page. Or, consult Ed Emberly’s book (affiliate link) to transform those thumbprints into birds, bees, fish and more.
- Use rubber stamps
If getting fingers wet with paint doesn’t appeal to your child, try rubber stamps. Melissa and Doug have several stamp kits (affiliate link) available for kids.
- Use do-a-dot paint markers
Preschoolers love do-a-dot markers (affiliate link) and parents love the lack of mess. Just give the bottle a shake, take off the top, and dab away.
- Cut out magazine images
This can take some time, so you may want to spread it out over a week’s time or cut out an assortment of pictures ahead of time and have your child choose what images to glue onto the pages.
- Use stickers
Stickers make the quickest, easiest illustrations. Group similar stickers per page or make a pattern on each page, adding a new sticker with each new number.
Final Thoughts
Making a counting book is a great way for preschoolers to practice their one-to-one correspondence and number identification skills. It gives them a simple format to follow that will make book-making less intimidating if the process is brand new to them.
Your Turn
Have you made a counting book with your preschooler? We’d love to hear your ideas. Leave a comment, and add a photo too!
