Teaching preschoolers to actually count numbers—not just recite them—will better prepare them for success in math once they start school, new research from the University of Missouri suggests.
"Counting gives children stronger foundations when they start school," researcher Louis Manfras, an assistant professor in the university's department of human development and family studies, said in a news release. "The skills children have when they start kindergarten affect their trajectories through early elementary school; therefore, it's important that children start with as many skills as possible."
