Early Math  /  Subitizing  /  Week 1: Lesson 3  /  Activity

Subitizing Books

 

Subitizing
Books & Songs

Children read subitizing books.

Two young girls sit on a small sofa and hold books. One girl shows a page of her book to the other girl. A preschool teacher sits near three children who are looking at books.

Set up the books in a book or library corner.

Encourage children to explore them, and read together when you can.

 

Materials


Materials used in Subitizing Books.
  • Five Little Ducks, by Raffi: One by one the mother duck loses her ducklings. But read on to the happy ending.
  • Let’s Count, by Tana Hoban: Presents the numbers 1–15, 30, 40, 50, and 100 through photographs of everyday objects, number symbols and words, and dots.
  • Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, by Eileen Christelow: Five little monkey get into lots of trouble jumping on the bed.
  • Mouse Count, by Ellen Stoll Walsh: A slithery snake collects and then loses ten delicious mice.
  • Ones and Twos, by Martha Jocelyn and Neil Jocelyn: This counting book shows lots of ways that ones and twos show up in the world of two friends.
  • What Comes in 2's, 3's & 4's?, by Suzanna Aker: Presents the set number concept through pictures of everyday objects.

Preparation

  1. Gather the books and place them in a cozy reading area.
  2. Read the stories yourself. Think about how you might encourage your children to subitize as they read the books.
 

Directions


  1. Display the books in the Library Corner or book area for children to read when they have free play or Learning Center time.
  2. Cuddle up with the children and explore the books together when you can. Encourage children to subitize and say how many they see as you read.

Length of Play

10–15 min.

Group Size

Small Group (2–4 children)

In the Schedule

Learning Centers


 
Vocabulary
  • a lot
  • more than
  • less than
  • same amount
  • same number
  • too many
  • not enough
  • many
  • more
  • one less
  • number names
 
Learning Goals
  • Recognize sets of one to five objects without counting
  • Learn or reinforce number names and symbols
  • Count from 1 to 5
  • Understand that numbers can be represented by objects
  • Understand that the number of objects in a set is not affected by their arrangement