Toe Counting

When Aubree was Sadie's age she was expecting a new baby sister.  Aubree and Hailee were about 22 months apart.  One thing I did to make Aubree feel like she had a very important role in Hailee's birth was I told her it was her job to count the baby's fingers and toes to make sure they were all there.  This was a great way to get her to count to 10...in order :)  Below is a poem I wrote about the experience after Hailee was born.

Counting Toes

Written by: Jennifer Bowles

My Mommy taught me how...

to count from 1 to 10!

We'd count both day and night,

and then we'd count again.

For my baby would be coming soon,

and I must make sure to see...

Everything was in its place

just as it should be.

Most important of my jobs, though...

Everybody knows,

Is to count my baby's 10 little fingers

and her 10 little toes.

When I finally got to hold my baby

I hugged and kissed her again and again,

but in all the excitement, 

I forgot to count to 10!

Aubree did forget to count Hailee's toes when she was born, but it was still a great hidden lesson.

Another way to teach your child to count without it feeling like a lesson is to count as you walk up the stairs together.  This serves more than one purpose.  If you hear them counting and you can't see them...they're probably heading up the stairs.

You can also count out their snacks.  When the girls are small I will ask them how many they want. I will do this until they learn bigger numbers.  Aubree went from wanting 8 of everything to 88.  That was the last time I asked her how many she wanted...we didn't have 88 M&M's!