Keep it real
Let your kids in on the things you do that use numbers. Let him put a plate on the table for every person. Let him put out the forks to match the plates. Let him pay for things himself, and get the change. Take the time to let him take part in real life.

When things are real, they matter
Kids can count to put the forks on the table, or they can count to put stickers in a book. The counting is the same, but the feeling is different. Making sure that there is a fork for everyone in the family is more important than putting stickers in a book, and your child knows that. Let him be proud to help and to be a part of the family.

When things are real, you know when you get it right
When a kid is counting out forks for dinner, it’s easy for her to see when she gets it right or wrong. When she sees that everyone has a fork, she knows she counted well. If someone doesn’t have a fork, she knows she made a mistake, and can fix it easily by going to get another fork. If she makes a mistake in a workbook, she can’t tell if she’s right or wrong; if you tell her she’s wrong, there is no reason to fix it.

Let them make mistakes
When kids are learning to talk, they make lots of mistakes, and no one cares. A 3-year-old child will say “pusketty” instead of spaghetti for a long time, and no one gets worried. Most people think it is cute. Some parents start to say “pusketty” too, just to keep the kid company. Some parents are careful to say it correctly so the kid hears it the right way many times. After a while, some parents help the child to say it correctly; other parents just wait until the kid grows enough to be able to say the “sp” sound. But everyone agrees it’s normal to make mistakes when you are learning to talk.

In the same way, when a kid is learning to count, he will make lots of mistakes. Sometimes he starts at 5 instead of 1. Sometimes he counts the same thing twice; sometimes he misses one thing; sometimes he gets the numbers in the wrong order. All this is normal, so don’t worry about it. You don’t have to correct him. Be glad that he thinks counting is fun.