• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Happy Tot Shelf

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Find an Activity
  • Activity Membership
  • Learning Space
  • Free Printables
  • About HTS
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Find an Activity
    • Activity Membership
    • Learning Space
    • Free Printables
    • About HTS
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Math Activities

    Published: Apr 18, 2019 · Modified: Aug 21, 2023 by Fynn · All activities should be supervised by an adult. This post may contain affiliate links.

    Pouch Cap Flowers Counting Box

    Is your child learning how to count? This will be a great learning toy for him or her to practice one to one correspondence counting.

    Pouch Cap Flowers Counting DIY Toy to learn 1 to 1 correspondence

    Wait a minute, what’s 1 to 1 correspondence counting?

    At around 2 years old, you may start to hear your child counting or singing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or even to 20.

    But is your child really counting?

    Now try asking him/her to pick out 3 toys. Is he/she able to count and pick out 3 toys? Is he/she able to connect 3 physical items to the number 3?

    Jump to:
    • Rote Counting VS 1 to 1 Correspondence Counting
    • How to Use this 1 to 1 Correspondence Counting Toy
    • Make this Pouch Cap Flowers Counting Box under 5 Minutes

    Rote Counting VS 1 to 1 Correspondence Counting

    The former is what we called rote counting, where young children are able to recite the number names in the right order. Rote counting is important. It is a prerequisite to the higher order mathematical skill, one to one correspondence counting.

    But deep down, they do not understand what these numbers represent. They are not able to match the number name to the quantity of a group of things. 

    What’s next after Rote Counting?

    Once your child is able to rote count reliably to 10, the next important mathematical skill to work on for older toddlers and preschoolers will be 1 to 1 correspondence counting, that is to touch one object at a time and as he/she says its number name.

    They are making sense of numbers and giving physical meaning to each number, 4 means 4 items.

    Ideas for practicing 1 to 1 correspondence counting at home

    Give your child plenty of opportunities to practice one to one correspondence counting at home every day. Simple activities like picking up 3 toy cars, building a tower with 5 blocks or even eating 4 crackers will help in reinforcing this skill. Invite them to count along as they pick up each item to help them associate the number name to each item.

    I highly recommend trying these 10 Easy Counting Activities to Help Preschoolers Learn to Count 1 to 10.

    How to Use this 1 to 1 Correspondence Counting Toy

    Pouch Cap Counting Box Activity

    This Pouch Cap Flowers Counting Box is a wonderful one to one correspondence learning toy! I love putting a fun context around a learning activity. Children will love this idea of ‘growing their pouch cap flowers’ and they get to learn counting at the same time! 

    Pouch Cap Flowers Counting Box DIY Toy to learn  1 to 1 correspondence

    The child physically picks up one pouch cap and press it into each hole to make a ‘flower’. Invite the child to count the number of ‘pouch cap flowers’ in their ‘garden’ as they push in each pouch cap.

    Pouch Cap Flowers Counting Box DIY Toy to learn  1 to 1 correspondence

    Related: Another cute counting activity for children - Monster Eyes Counting.

    Fine motor activity for the young toddlers

    For the young toddlers, they may not be developmentally ready for 1 to 1 correspondence counting but this is still a great fine motor activity for them. The adults can do the counting as they push in the pouch caps.

    Related: More fine motor practice for young toddlers using Duplo blocks.

    Make this Pouch Cap Flowers Counting Box under 5 Minutes

    What you need:

    Materials to make this Pouch Cap Flowers Counting Box under 5 Minutes
    • A box 
    • 10 pouch caps
    • Penknife
    • Markers

    Ready to make this in under 5 minutes? 

    • Draw the stems & leaves of 10 flowers on the box. Do not draw the flower part. 
    • Write 1 to 10 under each flower.
    • Using a sharp penknife, slit a cross on where each flower should be. 
    • Press down the cross with your fingers.
    Make this Pouch Cap Flowers Counting Box under 5 Minutes

    Set this box together with 10 pouch caps and the learning activity is ready!

    Related: Let your child practice one to one correspondence with another Flower Paper Clip Counting Activity, and these 10 amazing one to one correspondence counting activities! Also, find out how to build a strong foundation for math by developing your child's number sense.

    Will you make a Pouch Cap Flowers Counting Box? 

    Bonus: Join my mailing list and download this free guide: 9 Simple Ways to Spark a Love of Learning in your Children. Get this guide now>>

    Pin this for later!

    Pouch Cap Flowers Counting Box DIY Toy  to learn 1 to 1 correspondence counting

    More Math Activities for Kids

    • Fun number activities for kids
      10 Low Prep Number Activities for Preschoolers to Play at Home 
    • Using plastic eggs and egg carton for one to one correspondence counting activity for kids
      10 Activities for Kids to Master One-to-One Correspondence Counting
    • shape activities for kids
      10+ Hands-On Shape Activities for Preschoolers 
    • 10 Easy Counting Activities to Help Preschoolers Learn to Count 1 to 10

    Sharing is caring!

    614 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet

    About Fynn

    Fynn is a Math and Science teacher from Singapore, author of The Happy Learning Book for Siblings and founder of Happy Tot Shelf. She helps parents enjoy home learning with their children through her highly popular kids' activity membership, The Happy Learners' Club. Fynn has been featured in various newspapers, websites and on radio shows as an expert in early childhood learning and creative hands-on learning ideas.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sher` says

      March 09, 2020 at 12:13 am

      Amazing explanation on rote vs correspondence counting! It really opened my eyes. I live in Singapore too and I have an important question: where do I get these pouch caps? :p I can't make the activity without them.

      Reply
      • happytotshelf says

        March 17, 2020 at 3:34 am

        Hello, you can find these pouch caps from supermarket. These caps are from the pouch yogurt or pouch baby food.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi there, I'm Fynn, an educator, author and mom of 3. I believe nurturing a love of learning begins at home. I'm here to help parents nurture a love of learning and build a strong bond with their children through fun learning together.

    More about me →

    Fall Activities for Kids

    • 10 simple leaf activities for 2 to 5 year old kids
      Leaf Activities for 2 to 5 Year Olds
    • Apples theme activities for kids
      Apples Theme Learning Activities for Preschoolers and Toddlers
    • Halloween ghost theme color matching activity for toddlers
      15+ Halloween Activities for Preschoolers
    • Learning shelf with farm theme activities for children
      15+ Delightful Farm Theme Preschool Activities

    Popular Posts

    • Fun number activities for kids
      10 Low Prep Number Activities for Preschoolers to Play at Home 
    • Haircut Number Game - A fun counting and cutting activity for preschoolers
      Haircut Number Game - A fun counting and cutting activity for preschoolers
    • 8 Educational Playdough Activities for Kids
    • Fun multi-sensory activities for kids to learn letter formation
      6 Multi-Sensory Play Activities for Letter Formation

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Fynn
    • Meet the HTS Team
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use

    Resources

    • Activity Index
    • Activity Membership
    • Free Printable
    • Learning Space Course

    Buy my books

    • Sibling Activity Book
    • Happy Learning Math Books

    Copyright © 2023 Happy Tot Shelf

    614 shares