Counting Beyond 20 – Minibeasts

Description

Support children to develop their ability to verbally count beyond 20 with this practical counting objects maths activity. The resource is designed to support children working towards the Early Learning Goal (ELG) of confidently counting beyond 20.

The resource provides children with repeated opportunities to practise counting larger quantities accurately. Encourage children to count the objects aloud, helping them develop confidence with the counting sequence and number names beyond 20.

The cards can be laminated and cut into strips to create a reusable resource. This makes them ideal for revisiting counting skills regularly and using them in a range of Early Years maths activities.

The strips can be used as a simple assessment activity, with an adult asking children to verbally count the objects. This provides an opportunity to observe children’s counting skills, including whether they maintain the correct sequence and count each object once.

The resource can also be added to continuous provision, giving children opportunities to independently practise counting objects beyond 20. Repeated practice can help children develop greater fluency and confidence with larger quantities.

Children can practise:
Verbally counting beyond 20
Counting objects accurately
Using number names confidently
Developing one-to-one correspondence
Maintaining the correct counting sequence
Developing number sense beyond 20
Building confidence with larger quantities

Use the strips during a focus group maths activity, as part of continuous provision or as an informal assessment task. Encourage children to count slowly and carefully, touching or pointing to each object as they say the corresponding number.

Adult questioning can extend the learning with prompts such as, “How many did you count?”, “Can you count them again?”, “What number comes after 20?” and “Can you start counting from a different number?”

For an additional challenge, ask children to predict approximately how many objects there are before counting them, or encourage them to count forwards from a number other than one.

This versatile Early Years maths resource provides a simple and effective way to develop verbal counting beyond 20 and gives children regular opportunities to practise an important early mathematical skill.