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INTERVENTION STRATEGY:

Kinesthetic Activities to Increase Counting Skills

Brief Description: These strategies are a series of activities for developing counting

skills, including one-to- one correspondence skills, which are a necessary prerequisite for

counting objects. These are very beginning activities to develop counting skills. These

activities may be varied and grouped throughout an intervention period to keep interest

up. This strategy may be combined with the Activities to Increase PreNumber Skills.

Materials Needed: These vary by activity and are specified with each below, as are

different variations to each activity.

Implementation: These strategies may be implemented individually or in small groups

by a teacher, paraprofessional or adult volunteer.

1. Tapping/Clapping/ Drumming – Using some type or percussion, such as

clapping hands, drums, rhythm sticks, maracas, etc., the children learn to tap out

the numbers in order, tapping each time they call out a number. Teachers may

vary the types of percussion for increased interest. Feedback and instruction

should be provided as necessary along with modeling of the task. Begin with one

through ten and then progress to 20 when counting to ten has been mastered with

one to one correspondence.

2. Manipulative - The children are given some type of manipulative such as unifix

cubes, counting bears, beads, etc. The children are instructed to move a

manipulative for each number. The teacher then gives feedback on the correct

number. This may be varied by using bingo markers on white paper or wet

sponges on colored paper to tally the count. A string of beads may also be made

for each child where the child moves the beads from one end of the string to the

other, much like an abacus. Feedback and instruction should be provided as

necessary along with modeling of the task.

3. Number Rock! – Have a deck of number flashcards. Each child selects a card

from the deck and identifies the number for the group. The students then “rock

out” the number by counting and rocking their hips back and forth or hopping

from side to side.

4. Bean Bag Toss – Sitting in a circle, the children are each given a number card. A

child then tosses a bean bag to another student. When the child catches it, the

thrower must clap and count out the number on the catcher’s card. The game

continues until each child has had a turn.

5. Number Hopscotch – Uses a beanbag and a hopscotch grid. The child draws a

number card from a deck and names the number on the card. They then throw a

beanbag to the corresponding square on the hopscotch grid. As they hop to the

square they should repeat each number in the square. As a variation, a long spiral

snake may be drawn without numbers in it. In this case, the children begin at one

end and all must hop to the other end to finish the game (progressing only as far

as the number of hops the card they draw will allow on each turn).

Intervention Schedule: These should be done for brief periods (approximately 10-15

minutes) daily. Progress monitoring should focus on counting and/or number

identification.

Tool/Attachments:

Number flashcards can be found at this web site:

http://www.eslflashcards.com/preview.php?id=35

*Intervention information compiled by the National Association of School

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Psychologists.