Counting books are vital for littles when it comes to teaching them to learn numbers. These are some of our very favorites. Check them out below!
Counting Books Build Number Sense
Our youngest readers are curious and ready to learn. And whether they are in preschool or learning at home, counting books are vital when it comes to teaching little bookworms their numbers!
This great selection of counting books offers a wide variety of ways to teach numbers. Some only include a number range from 1 through 10, while others go up much higher. Most allow children to match numbers with illustrated objects, and while the majority of the books in this selection move sequentially in ascending order, many others allow young learners to deepen their thinking with books that jump in sequence, go in descending order, or help kids master skip counting.
Counting books boost numerical skills and literacy!
Not only will these counting books teach your children about numbers, but many of them also offer great stories that will captivate your kids. And any time you read these counting books with a child, you won’t only boost their number sense, but their literacy skills, too!
We hope you have fun teaching your little ones their numbers with these great counting books. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Concept books are picture books, often board books, that introduce basic concepts to our youngest readers. These books contain concrete information on a particular concept, such as the alphabet, animals, colors, shapes, opposites, and the like.
Concept books help teach young readers about the world around them! They are fabulous for preparing your children for preschool and kindergarten, and they are important components in early literacy. Further, concept books help with speech development by encouraging children to put labels to objects and concepts in their everyday world.
Karen Katz’s Counting Kisses will forever be a favorite counting book for the way it sparked such joy and giggling in my house. Learning numbers through sweet kisses on baby’s knees and toes? Count us in! Any concept book that also encourages affection and snuggles between parent and child is a winner, for sure.
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Our Favorite Counting Books for Preschoolers
This is one of the most treasured stories on our shelf, and the very best board book to teach counting for the way it encourages affection and play between parent and child. In this story, a tired baby is getting ready for bed. What follows is a countdown of kisses given to the baby by all members of her family… until, of course, the baby falls sound asleep. For our full review of Counting Kisses, click here!
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This is such an adorable book that has kids counting from one to ten while also introducing other mathematical concepts. Toddlers will be in awe of the cute kittens, and parents will enjoy helping their kids think beyond counting by introducing simple addition and subtraction, too. So clever and a total gem!
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My boys were mesmerized by this fabulous board book! We love the way it asks toddlers to take a close look at one simple object and then guess what it may turn into when they open the page fold. With each page fold, the number of animals on the page increases, from one all the way to ten. Toddlers will be mesmerized, and your older children will love making predictions and guesses.
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This is such a fun counting book that tells a great story in as much as it teaches number sense! Here, one hungry fox with sly eyes is on the prowl, and three hens better watch their every move! On a moonlight farmyard, drama abounds as the hungry fox looks for his dinner. With tension, suspense, and an unexpected twist at the end, this one has kids begging for a reread while teaching them to count to ten at the very same time!
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In this adorable take on the age-old song The Twelve Days of Christmas, one large crocodile loves to eat. Yet, the crocodile grows bigger and bigger, and feeding time is getting out of control! From three french fries to two cups of tea to a mountain of mac-a-roniiiiiii, kids will read and sing this song with joyful giggles, having fun and learning their numbers, too.
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What can one do with ten black dots? With creativity and fun, this book walks young readers through the ways in which different amounts of dots (up to ten, of course!) can be utilized to create pictures. The possibilities are endless, as is the wonder this counting book provokes in children!
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One kiss, two kiss, three kiss, four! This is the most adorable counting book, and we love it even more for its gorgeous photographs showing a diverse group of men, women and children, and for its bilingual text (it is written in English and Plains Cree!). Stunning, sweet, and oh so much fun. Who doesn’t love learning to count kiss by kiss?
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This is such a tender book that so beautifully conveys the importance of a welcoming and warm community! When refugees come to America, each little act of kindness can help them settle into their new homes. We love the way this story spotlights compassion and helping others at the same time it teaches children how to count to ten!
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Like its predecessor Alphablock, Countablock also gets two thumbs up for its thick pages cut into the shapes of numerals and the way it encourages readers to guess what is hiding underneath each one. With numbers ranging from one to one hundred, we love the way this book allows children to learn the lines, curves, and holes associated with each number, as well as numbers beyond the basic 1-10.
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This book is incredible! It was designed specifically for children with visual impairments and blindness, thus it features braille letters and other fabulous tactile elements, creating a wonderful, multi-sensory experience for young learners. Die-cut pages, textured insets, and high-contrast images combine to take kids on a counting adventure. This is a hands-on book that will benefit each and every child, and it is definitely one of the best board books to teach counting!
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Oh, I simply adore this series of books that use Latino objects and culture to explore various concepts! In this installment, children learn to count through a fiesta of numbers. With its vibrant illustrations, bilingual text, and snappy rhyme, this fabulous book has universal appeal. It’s a fun read-aloud for babies and toddlers. Even better, the glossary at the back of the book explains any vocabulary you don’t already know!
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Molly Idle is a genius when it comes to children’s literature, and she has recently brought her award-winning Flora (from Caldecott Honor-winning Flora and the Flamingo) to board books. What will happen when all of the eggs in a nest begin to hatch? Will Flora be able to count and keep up with this bevy of chicks? In this adorable and elegant book, kids will learn to count along with Idle’s beautiful illustrations and sweet little chickies. Flora has our hearts!
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This book is such fun and a delightful counting book for young readers. Little ones learn to count up to 15 as Grandma’s family and friends fill up her tiny house with laughter and treats, all ready for a delicious, impromptu feast. But what happens when it gets way too crowded in the house? Will one clever little girl know how to combat the chaos? Kids will beg for rereads of this great rhyming story!
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If your little one is mesmerized by all of the critters outside, she will love this counting book that walks kiddos through tons of different bugs! From spittlebugs to katydids, explorers will learn ten different ways to count up to ten, using ten different kinds of bugs. The best part is that advanced counters will be able to get all the way to 100 by the end of the book. Such fun!
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Arusha, Mosi, Tumpe and their Massai friends count their way through the grasslands of Tanzania! While they count to ten in both English and Swahili, the children see many animals, including lions, elephants, and monkeys. With notes about the animals, a map, and an illustrated guide to counting in Swahili, this is a fabulous counting book for teaching children not only about numbers but a different culture, too.
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In this adorable play on “ten little monkeys jumping on the bed,” ten little ninjas are not ready to go to sleep. They slide and swing out of bed until daddy has to call the sensei for help! And it’s not just ninjas. Young readers will love the astronauts, race car drivers, and tigers, too! This is an adorable story that kids will love, and mark my words — they will eventually learn to “read” it on their own!
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RELATED: We’ve got a fabulous list of kindergarten read-alouds for you to make storytime magical and meaningful, so be sure to check them out!
