Counting to 20 Activities for Preschoolers: Hands-On Ideas That Work

What you'll need

• - 20+ small countable objects (pom-poms, dried beans, buttons or blocks)
• - Painter's tape or chalk
• - One empty egg carton, plus a muffin tin or small bowls
• - 20 crackers, cereal pieces or fruit pieces
• - 20 wooden clothespins and a length of yarn
• - A large soft die with dots
• - A bucket or basket, a plastic pitcher and cups for water play

How to do it

1. 1

   **Step 1 — Build a teen tower.** Do these games one at a time, a few times a week — your child probably rattles off 1–10 already; the real work is the teen stretch from 13 to 19, so slow the teens down and attach each one to something they can touch. Stack blocks one at a time, counting each as it lands. Keep going past 10, slowing down at 11 — exaggerate the teen names: "THIR-teen, FOUR-teen." Towers rarely survive to 20 on the first try, and that's fine: the crash is the reward that makes kids want to count again. Rebuild and count on from where you left off.

   
2. 2

   **Step 2 — Walk the tape line.** Lay a long strip of painter's tape on the floor. Your child steps along it, one number per step, all the way to 20. One foot, one number — the stepping spaces the words out and stops the classic preschool rush through the teens. For extra teen practice, start the walk at 11.

   
3. 3

   **Step 3 — Count on with an egg carton.** Fill an egg carton with pom-poms, counting 1–12 together. Line up 8 more beside it: "We've got 12… count ON: thirteen, fourteen…" to 20. This teaches that 13–20 are just "ten plus some more" — exactly how the numbers work.

   
4. 4

   **Step 4 — Count your snack.** Count 20 crackers onto a plate, touching each one: 1 to 20, no skipping. Then eat them — counting that ends in a snack is counting kids beg to repeat. Pause at the teens and let your child say them alone; if they stumble, count those three together again.

   
5. 5

   **Step 5 — Hop to twenty.** Outside, draw chalk circles or lay down cushions as landing pads. Your child hops pad to pad, one number per landing, to 20. Each landing gives its number a thump of emphasis — perfect for the slippery middle teens. Tired legs? Big stomps for 13–19 only, then hop the rest.

   
6. 6

   **Step 6 — Nature collection count.** Take a bucket on a walk and collect 20 treasures: pinecones, leaves, pebbles, sticks. Count each one as it drops in. At 10, announce "ten!" and keep going — hearing the count continue into the teens is what makes 13–19 click.

   
7. 7

   **Step 7 — Roll and build to 20.** Roll a dot die and add that many blocks to a pile, counting each one. Keep a running total out loud: "We had 7… plus 4 more… 8, 9, 10, 11!" First to exactly 20 wins. This practices counting on — the skill hiding inside the teen numbers.

   
8. 8

   **Step 8 — Clip the line.** String yarn across a room or between two chairs. Your child clips 20 clothespins along it, counting each clip. Clothespins fight back a little, which slows the count — and slow counting is accurate counting. Ideal for the child who blurs 13, 14, 15 into one breath.

   
9. 9

   **Step 9 — Pour and count.** At the sink or tub, pour cupfuls of water from a pitcher into a big bowl, counting each pour to 20. Pouring is slow by nature, so the teens get full airtime. Mark the waterline at 10 and 20 pours with tape.

   
10. 10

    **Step 10 — Hide and count to twenty.** You hide; your child counts to 20 — slowly, out loud — before seeking. The long count is the whole point: twenty seconds of steady teen-number practice disguised as the best game ever. Then swap roles. Terrible hiding spots are traditional.

    

Other ways to play it

• - **Teen-only round:** do any activity counting just 11–20.
• - **Partner count:** you say the tens, your child says the teens.
• - **Record it:** your child draws 20 circles and crosses each off as you count.

How it changes by age

• Built for ages 4–5, when most children rote-count to 10 and are ready to attach meaning to 11–20. Younger siblings (3+) can join as echo-helpers. If your 5-year-old already counts to 20 smoothly, use the "make it harder" options or move on to our addition games for kindergarten. Still on 1–10? Start with our counting activities for toddlers.

What they're learning

- Rote counting to 20, with accurate teen numbers 13–19 - One-to-one correspondence (one touch, one number) - Counting on from a known number — the foundation of addition - Cardinality: the last number said tells how many there are - Fine motor control (clipping, pouring, placing)

Questions parents ask