5 Creative Counting Games for Kids

Counting is one of the first concepts children learn in early maths.

In addition to helping kids learn their numbers, counting helps to give context to numbers and provide a foundation for other key concepts such as quantity, measurements, patterns, sorting, shapes and space.

So, what may appear to be a simple counting game, is actually a fantastic and easy way to start establishing essential maths skills while having a ton of fun along the way!

Have a look at some fun and creative counting games for kids you can try today.

5 Creative Counting Games for Kids to Try at Home:

1. Five Little Ducks Counting Game

“Five Little Ducks” is a classic counting game song your little one will love singing along too. To make it even more interactive, try filling up a plastic tub with five little rubber duckies and role playing through the song. For example, take one duck away for each verse and ask your child to count the number of ducks remaining.

“Five Little Monkeys” is also a wonderful counting game song to try if your little one enjoys to sing. Try making monkeys out of playdough or drawing them and pretend to bounce them off the bed – beware though, your child may follow suit and start jumping off the bed too!

2. Toilet Roll Tower

Using the toilet paper rolls you have on hand, ask your child to stack the rolls as high as they can without tipping over the tower, counting each roll as they stack it. Once they've gone as high as they're able to, ask them to use the same rolls to build another tower but instead count backwards as they unstack the first tower and build the second.

3. Bottle Top Count & Match Game

For this game you'll need to begin by saving the tops to various sized jars, bottles or yogurt pouch caps etc. – feel free to get creative! Choose between five to ten lids depending on what you've collected and label each top with a number using a marker or stickers. Then using a sheet of paper or card board, trace each top and write the corresponding number. Once you've got your set‑up, ask your child to match each lid with its corresponding number and do a final count at the end. When they've finished, ask them to lay the tops out and count them in order.

4. Bean Bag Counting Game

For this game you'll need to draw and cut out numbers one through five and grab some sticky tape to place on the back of each number. Position the numbers up the stairs in sequential order or simply space them out evenly on the floor like a ladder. Have your child toss the bean bag and then name the number that the bean bag has fallen closest too. For more of a challenge, call out a number and ask your child to throw the bean bag on that number.

5. Counting Walk Game

This is a great outdoor excursion activity that can be done around the neighbourhood. Together with your child, pick out a fairly common item to look out for such as a garbage truck, a dog, a car, or a letterbox etc. They'll love being involved in the decision‑making process and it's a wonderful way to get them excited about the game. Ask your child to count out how many of these they come across as you stroll through your neighbourhood. If you prefer to stay at home you can always search for items around the house to start counting too!

Fun Counting Games Online

Try hundreds of fun counting games for kids with ABC Mathseeds! Make learning essential maths skills a blast with ABC Mathseeds today. Free trial

Try Fun Counting Games Online

ABC Mathseeds has hundreds of fun counting games for kids ages 3⁠–⁠9 to enjoy. Created by a highly experienced team of primary school teachers, the program is designed to make learning essential maths and problem‑solving skills an absolute blast.

Self‑paced one‑on‑one lessons are followed by fun games that present each new maths concept in a variety of exciting ways – your child won't even know they're learning! Early activities focus on numbers, counting and shape recognition. Later lessons build skills in addition, subtraction and measurement, and then early multiplication and division are introduced.

ABC Mathseeds Counting Games

Try hundreds of fun counting games for kids with Mathseeds! Make learning essential maths skills a blast with Mathseeds today. Free trial

All lessons and activities can be repeated as often as necessary; so that children can revise and consolidate their skills. Not only can your child explore hundreds of fun counting games, they can also explore exciting learning areas, building maths facts fluency with timed 60 second sprints in Mental Minute, testing out their new skills with a Driving Test and so much more!