Definition
Counting
Counting matches each item once to number words in order, and the last word tells how many.
What it means
Touch or track one object as you say each number word. Do not skip an object or count one twice. When every object has exactly one number word, the last word names how many objects are in the whole group.
Remember it
One object, one number word; the last word tells how many.
Example
Six shells are scattered on a table. Touch each shell once while saying 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. The last number word, six, tells the total number of shells.
Watch for
Saying 1 to 10 without matching the words to any objects practises the counting sequence, but it does not count a collection.
Common mix-up
You may count the objects in a different order and still get the same total, as long as every object is counted exactly once.
Exact meaning
Counting a collection means pairing each item exactly once with successive number words in a stable order. After every item is counted, the final number word gives the collection’s cardinality.