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Skills / Ages 5 to 8 / Math

Show two

Counting a pair by touching each one, saying one and then two, stopping, and knowing the group is two. Matching a pair to the mark 2.

Why it matters

The next lesson builds three as two and one more. If two is still shaky, three has nothing to stand on. Two is also all over your child's own body and clothes, so it is a number your child can go find without you setting anything out.

What it looks like when your child can do it

  • Your child picks up a pair of shoes, taps one and says one, taps the other and says two, then stops.
  • Asked how many mittens are in a pair, your child says two without counting again.
  • Your child points to the mark 2 when you hold up two spoons.

How to teach it at the kitchen table

  1. 01

    Start with things that come in pairs

    Shoes, socks, mittens, hands, eyes. The book calls two matching things that go together a pair. Your child already owns lots of pairs.

  2. 02

    Touch one, touch two, then stop

    Line up a pair of socks. Your child touches the first and says one, touches the second and says two. Then the hands stop. Stopping is part of the skill.

  3. 03

    The last number is how many

    After the count, ask how many socks. The answer is the last number said, two. If your child counts again to answer, show that the last word already told you.

  4. 04

    Two that do not match

    Put down a spoon and a fork. Count them. Still two. A pair is two that go together, but any two things are two.

  5. 05

    Match it to the mark 2

    Write the mark 2. Point from the pair to the mark and back. When you see 2, think of two things side by side.

You will need: Shoes, socks, gloves or mittens · Paper and a pencil for the mark 2

Try it together

  1. Try 1

    Put a pair of gloves on the table. Ask your child to count them.

    Listen for  One, two, then a stop. Watch for one touch on each glove and no third number.

  2. Try 2

    Put three socks on the bed, two that match and one odd sock. Ask your child to find the pair.

    Listen for  The two matching socks. Then ask how many are in the pair. The answer is two.

  3. Try 3

    Ask your child how many hands they have, and then how many eyes.

    Listen for  Two and two. Some children count their hands and some know it at once. Both are fine.

  4. Try 4

    Write the marks 1 and 2. Hold up two crackers and ask which mark matches.

    Listen for  The mark 2.

Watch for

  • Counting past the pair, one, two, three, because the counting words keep rolling. Put a hand over the pair when it is done.

If it is not there yet

  • Go back to one. Put one thing down and say one, then add one more and say two, so two is heard as one and one more.
  • Use your child's own body. Hands, feet, eyes and ears are pairs that go everywhere your child goes.

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 4

    Three

    Needs it because three is named as two and one more, so two has to be solid.