Counting

How many wiggly toes do you have on your feet? How many shiny stars can you see in the night sky? Sometimes you have just one yummy cookie. Sometimes you have a whole pile of colorful blocks. I am the little question in your head when you wonder, 'How many?'. I am the feeling you get when you want to know if you have more red crayons than blue crayons. Before anyone knew my name, I was there, helping people wonder about their world and all the amazing things in it. I am a happy little secret that helps you understand how much of something you have.

Hello. I am Counting. A long, long, long time ago, people needed me to help them. First, they used their fingers to show one, two, or three. They even used their toes. It was a fun game. Many years later, about 20,000 years ago, some people made little scratches on bones to keep track of things. One scratch for one sunny day, another scratch for another sunny day. It helped them remember. Later, in warm places, people made little shapes out of clay around 3400 BCE. They made a tiny clay sheep for every real, fluffy sheep they had. They made a little clay circle for every loaf of yummy bread. I helped them know they had enough for everyone.

I am still here with you every single day. I help you play hide-and-seek when you close your eyes and say, 'One, two, three, four, five... ten. Ready or not, here I come.'. I help you know how many bright candles are on your birthday cake. One for each year you have been special. I help you share your favorite toys with your friends, so everyone gets one to play with. I am here to help you understand your wonderful world, one, two, three at a time. It is so much fun to count together.