Talk About It: The Number 3

The big idea: Three means one more than two.

We met 1 and then 2. Today we add one more and get 3. Three is everywhere: three meals a day, three wheels on a tricycle, and "ready, set, go!" has three parts too.

Questions to ask

• "Can you show me three fingers?"

• "Here are two blocks. If I add one more, how many now?"

• "Can you clap three times? Jump three times?"

• "What has three wheels?"

• "How many meals do we eat each day?"

Show it in one minute

Line up two spoons and count them: "One, two." Add one more: "One, two, three. Now there are three!" Take one away and ask how many are left. Then trace a big 3 in the air: "Around once, around twice."

Keep it going

Count to three before everything today: before you go down the slide, before you blow out the bath bubbles, before you start the car. "One, two, three, go!"

Want to learn more?

• Help Your Child Develop Early Math Skills, from Zero to Three

• Math Talk with Infants and Toddlers, from NAEYC

• Helping Your Child See and Show Mathematical Ideas, from NAEYC

Shop these items

Find the books and supplies from this week in one place. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

• Today's book: I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! by Karen Beaumont

• From our set: Wooden number puzzle

• Shop everything for Week 3: My Body

• Starter supplies: the basics we use most weeks

• See every week in our Amazon storefront

More for this week: see all our My Body activities, Letter C activities and Number 3 activities.