Skills / Ages 5 to 8 / Math
Point to a picture
Putting one finger on one exact thing in a picture when a grown-up names it, and holding it there long enough to be seen.
Why it matters
The first sheets in this book ask your child to show an answer by pointing: at an empty bowl, at the mark 0, at exactly one stamp in a row. Counting itself is pointing, one finger on one thing at a time. A child who points with a wave of the hand cannot show you what they know yet.
What it looks like when your child can do it
- You say, show me the dog, and your child's finger lands on the dog in the book and stays there.
- Asked to point to one apple in a row of apples, your child touches one apple, not the whole row.
- Asked which nest in a picture has no eggs, your child points at the empty nest.
How to teach it at the kitchen table
- 01
Point to real things first
Before pictures, point to things in the room. Say, point to the door, point to your shoe. Your child reaches toward it or walks over and touches it.
- 02
Use one finger, not a whole hand
Show your child how to make a pointing finger and fold the others down. A pointing finger lands on one thing. A flat hand covers several things at once.
- 03
Move to a picture book
Open a picture book to a busy page. Name one thing and wait. The finger should land on it and stay long enough for you to see where it is.
- 04
Point to one in a row
Find a page with a row of the same thing, like ducks or trees. Ask for one duck. This is the move the book needs: one finger on exactly one.
- 05
Point to what is not there
Put an empty basket beside a basket with toys in it. Ask, point to the one with none. Pointing at an empty thing is harder, because there is nothing inside to point at.
You will need: A picture book with busy pages · Two baskets or paper bags and a small toy · Paper and a pencil
Try it together
Try 1
Open a picture book and ask your child to point to something you name, like the cat.
Listen for One finger lands on the cat and stays. A finger that circles the page is not there yet.
Try 2
Line up four spoons. Say, point to one spoon.
Listen for One finger on one spoon. If the hand sweeps the row, place the finger on one spoon together and say one.
Try 3
Set two paper bags side by side and put a small toy in one. Ask your child to point to the bag with nothing in it.
Listen for The empty bag. Give it a moment, because there is nothing to see inside it.
Try 4
Draw a circle and a square on paper. Ask your child to point to the circle.
Listen for The circle, with one finger, held still.
Watch for
- Pointing before you finish the question. Say the whole sentence first, then say, now point.
If it is not there yet
- Go back to touching real things. Your child walks over and puts a hand on the chair, the door, the couch. Pictures come after.
- Use big pictures with only two or three things on the page, so there is less to choose from.
A few days of this is normal, and it is time well spent. The lesson will still be there, and it will go faster.
Where this skill comes up
Zig and Zag Count to Twenty · Lesson 1
None Is a Number
Needs it because the sheet asks your child to point at the empty group and the mark 0.
Zig and Zag Count to Twenty · Lesson 2
One Is This Many
Needs it because the child has to point at exactly one stamp, not the whole row.