For grown-ups
Number rods
What your child practices
Seeing that a number is a length: each rod has one more section than the next, in alternating red and blue, so ten is ten sections long and one is a single section. Counting the sections comes naturally once the rods are in order.
How to use it together
Show it once: bring the longest rod to the rug, then the next, slowly. If your child wants to, touch the sections and count them aloud together. A rod that is too long tips off, and a skipped one is left over. If your device has a voice in this language, each rod says its number when it lands. When all ten are down, they can be tipped over and done again.
These are Montessori-style activities. Handeware Kids is not affiliated with or approved by any Montessori organization.