How Many? Counting Objects One by One

One number for each thing

Here are some dots. How many are there?

Touch the first dot. Say $1$. Touch the next dot. Say $2$. Go on like that.

Say one number for each dot. Touch each dot one time, not two.

The last dot gets $6$. So there are $6$ dots.

The last number tells how many

When you count, the last number you say is the one that tells how many.

You said $1$, $2$, $3$, $4$, $5$, $6$. The last one was $6$. So you have $6$.

You do not need to count them all a second time. The last number is the answer.

Why the last number tells how many

Each time you say a number, you count one more dot. So the number you say goes up by one each time you touch a dot.

When you touch the last dot, you have counted all of them. So the last number is how many there are in all.

Here is one more thing. It does not matter which dot you start with. Start at the left or at the right. Move the dots all over. Count them in a new way. You still get $6$.

The count stays the same as long as no dot is added or taken away.

Each next number is one more

Say you have $5$ dots. Put one more dot with them. Now you have $6$.

That is why $6$ comes right after $5$ when you count. Each next number is one more.

Count things in rows

Things are not always in one line. Here are two rows.

Count the top row: $1$, $2$, $3$, $4$. Then go on to the next row. Do not start over. Say $5$, $6$, $7$, $8$.

There are $8$ dots in all.

Worked examples

Common mistakes

Practice problems