Plenty of kids his age can count much better than Andrew, but I was pretty proud today when Andrew counted 7 spots on his ladybug pictures and then put 7 stickers on them and read the number 7. He did the same thing for all of the other cards 1-6. I was amazed.
Being able to count objects and understand that each object corresponds to 1 single number is a pretty big milestone. It is very different from just counting aloud from 1-10 or 1-20 (which kids typically can do a lot sooner). It is also a critical skill in order to ever be able to add or subtract. The reason that this is SUCH a significant skill to me is because I spent 6 years working with several of my special needs students on this concept- every day for a LONG time. I got so excited when a student would FINALLY get it- some never did. Because of how long it took them I didn't realize that typical kids could understand this so soon... I was so surprised to see Andrew's progress when we were working today. Most typical kids can count objects up to five when they are 3 yrs old and objects up to 10 when they are 4 yrs old. Since I've never worked with typically developing kids, I've never seen this before.
I think one of the best gifts my former job gave me is an appreciation for little moments and very small milestones. It makes every day a celebration at our house.
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