Counting back

Once your child has mastered counting forward then it's time to teach them to count backwards. Learning to count backwards and to understand what the numbers mean rather than just reciting them by rote is another skill that gets built on in the future as children learn to subtract, get proficient with mental maths etc. Countdowns from 10 are fun but learn to count backwards from any number is important too. Now, below are some interesting games and activities to master counting back in school or at home….

• Practice a space ship countdown in suitably important voice! 
• Play hide and seek and count backwards from 10 before calling out "Ready or not, here I come!"
• Hands on practice. Print out a set of our Number Cards and ask your child to put them in the correct order then count down - from 10, or from any other number that you point to.
• Physical fun. Do you have 10 children? Give each of them a large number to hold (use some of our Number Cards or cut out large numbers using our Number Templates) and then ask them to line up from 1 to 10, and then from 10 to 1! Each time you get them to call out their number and bob up and down as they do so, with the rest of the class joining in with the counting.
• Hopscotch counting. Draw the numbers 0 to 10 with chalk and get the kids to jump or hop along them and then hop back, counting as they go.
• Use Number Lines. Print Number Lines from 0 to 10 or 1 to 10 and display or use in front of you. Practise "hopping" down the line as you count.
• Play Snap Challenge. At any time - in the car, out walking, in the bath, during a meal, surprise your child by saying "Snap Challenge! Count down from xx". Your child must answer as quickly as possible. Encourage your child to Snap Challenge you, too.
• Play with cards. Use a set of Number Cards. Place them face down on the table and shuffle them around. Take turns flipping a card over and counting down to zero from whatever number shows.