Early Math Counts

• Infant socks
• Adult socks
• Infant and adult cold-weather clothing items, if appropriate

Note: Small parts pose a choking hazard and are not appropriate for children age five or under. Be sure to choose lesson materials that meet safety requirements.

Place the infant on a blanket on the floor. Sit down with the infant and talk with the infant about getting dressed to go outside. Touch the infant’s feet and say: “(Child’s name) has LITTLE feet.” Show your foot and say: “(Your name) has BIG feet.” You could also talk about big and little toes when you are comparing feet. Then show the infant’s sock and say: “(Child’s name) wears LITTLE socks on his/her LITTLE feet.” After you put on the infant’s socks, talk about putting the BIG socks on your own BIG feet as you put them on.

Repeat with other outdoor clothing items, if appropriate for the weather. Mittens for LITTLE and BIG hands are another great clothing item to use for this concept.

Play: At the beginning of this stage, play is mostly shaking, banging and mouthing toys. By the end of this stage, infants begin to combine objects that go together in play. They reach for and hold two objects and may begin to reach for a third. Many infants will look for dropped toys and find partially and completely hidden toys. Many infants enjoy taking objects out of containers and putting them back in.

Communication: At this age, infants respond when their names are called. They may turn their heads, make eye contact and sometimes smile and vocalize. They may look for family members and pets when called by name. They may respond to simple requests made with gestures, such as: “Come here.” They may understand “No” or “Stop.” They may lift their arms to be picked up, clap hands and wave bye-bye. They love to shout and squeal and may be babbling with many different sounds. They may be participating in and sometimes initiating peek-a-boo.

Motor: During this stage, many infants begin to sit by themselves and play. They begin to move by rolling, crawling and cruising. They pick up toys by using a raking motion with their whole hand and, by the end of this stage, they are using their fingers and thumbs to pick up small objects. They may feed themselves small bits of food.

• Infant’s socks and shoes (if the infant wears them)
• Adult’s socks and shoes
• Infant and adult cold-weather clothing items, if appropriate

Note: Small parts pose a choking hazard and are not appropriate for children age five or under. Be sure to choose lesson materials that meet safety requirements.

Place the infant on a blanket on the floor. Sit down facing the infant and talk with the infant about getting dressed to go outside. Touch the infant’s  feet and say: “(Child’s name) has LITTLE feet.” Show your foot and say: “(Your name) has BIG feet.” Put your own foot next to the infant’s foot and say: “LITTLE” as you touch the infant’s foot and “BIG” as you touch your own foot. You could also talk about big and little toes when you are comparing feet. Then hold up the infant’s socks and your socks. Say: “LITTLE socks” as you show the infant’s socks and “BIG socks” as you show your socks. Next, say: “(Child’s name) wears LITTLE socks on his/her LITTLE feet.” Give the child one sock while you put the other sock on his/her foot. The infant at this age may touch his/her own foot with the sock he/she is holding. Ask the infant for the sock and put it on the other foot, again repeating LITTLE socks for LITTLE feet. After you put on the infant’s socks, talk about putting the BIG socks on your own BIG feet as you put them on.

Repeat with shoes and other outdoor clothing items, if appropriate for the weather. Mittens for LITTLE and BIG hands are another great clothing item to use for this concept.

• Infant’s socks and shoes (if he/she wears them)
• Adult’s socks and shoes
• Infant and adult cold-weather clothing items, if appropriate

Note: Small parts pose a choking hazard and are not appropriate for children age five or under. Be sure to choose lesson materials that meet safety requirements.

Tell the infant that it’s time to go outside. Gather outdoor clothing and sit down together to get ready. Touch the infant’s little feet and say, “(Child’s name) has LITTLE feet.” Show your foot and say: “(Your name) has BIG feet.” Put your own foot next to the infant’s foot and say: “LITTLE” as you touch the infant’s foot and “BIG” as you touch your own foot. You could also talk about big and little toes when you are comparing feet. Then hold up the infant’s socks in one hand and your socks in the other. Say: “LITTLE socks” as you show the infant’s socks and “BIG socks” as you show your socks. Next, say: “(Child’s name) wears LITTLE socks on his LITTLE feet.” Still holding up the little socks and big socks, ask the infant to find the LITTLE socks for his LITTLE feet. Touch the LITTLE socks to his/her hand and allow the infant to take the socks. The infant at this age may try to put his/her own sock on, but may not be able to do it without help from you. As you help, repeat: “LITTLE socks for LITTLE feet.” After you put on the infant’s socks, talk about putting the BIG socks on your own BIG feet as you put them on.

Repeat with shoes and other outdoor clothing items, if appropriate for the weather. Mittens for LITTLE and BIG hands are another great clothing item to use for this concept.