Counting to 10 on fingers

Ten fingers, ten numbers — the first calculator anyone ever owns.

The question

How many fingers am I holding up?

The trick

Say the number and touch the finger at the same moment. One touch, one number. If the touching and the saying happen together, the number sticks.

Worked example

1Hold up one hand and wiggle the thumb. Say 'one' as you wiggle it.
2Wiggle the next finger, say 'two'. Keep going to five.
3Now the other hand: six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
4Do it slowly. Speed comes on its own later.

So: Count them one at a time — touch each finger as you say the number

Remember it like this

Sing it. 'One little, two little, three little fingers…' A tune carries numbers into memory far better than repetition does.

In the exam

There is no exam here, and there should be no rush. If your child skips a number, do not correct them mid-count — let them finish, then count together once. Being interrupted is what makes children stop wanting to try.

Why it works

A young child's number sense is built through the body first. When the finger moves and the mouth says the number in the same instant, the brain links the two — that link is what counting actually is.

Explain this to my childGet the words to teach it, in your language

Try it yourself

0/4 correct

1
Hold up 3 fingers. How many?
Hold up 3 fingers. How many?
2
Hold up 5 fingers. How many?
Hold up 5 fingers. How many?
3
What number comes after 6?
What number comes after 6?
4
What number comes after 9?
What number comes after 9?