Counting Collections: A Hands-On Way to Build Early Math Skills

As a teacher-mama who values the importance of hands-on learning, I’m always looking for creative ways to make math engaging for my daughter. Recently, I reconnected with the idea of counting collections, which combines exploration and counting in a fun, interactive way. With the beautiful fall weather calling us outdoors, I decided to turn a hike into an educational adventure. Armed with curiosity and a small bag, my daughter and I set out to collect acorns, acorn tops, and pine cones, turning our nature walk into an exciting opportunity for learning. Little did I know, this simple activity would not only enhance her counting skills but also create lasting memories for us both.

Counting Collections: What the Research Says

Counting is a fundamental math skill that serves as the building block for future mathematical understanding. Research shows that young children benefit from hands-on experiences when learning foundational skills, and counting collections offer an engaging way to foster these early numeracy skills. According to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), young learners develop critical number sense when they engage in activities like counting and grouping objects. 

Counting collections involves giving children a variety of objects—beads, buttons, blocks, or even leaves—and encouraging them to count each item. This method goes beyond rote memorization and helps children develop an understanding of “how many” by seeing numbers as quantities, not just symbols. Studies suggest that children who practice with tangible items are more likely to understand abstract concepts like addition, subtraction, and place value in later grades (Boaler et al., 2019).

One key benefit of counting collections is that they encourage one-to-one correspondence, where each item is counted once, helping children grasp that each object represents “one” in a series. As they grow more confident, children can begin to group objects, developing multiplication and division skills naturally over time. The process also strengthens fine motor skills as children physically move items, sort them, and sometimes even label their groupings.

Our Fall Counting Collections

I recently tried out counting collections with my daughter, Cora, on a beautiful fall day. It became such a fun, memorable learning experience! We went for a hike through the woods, where we decided on three types of treasures to look for: acorns, acorn tops, and pine cones. She was thrilled with the task and quickly got to work, eagerly spotting and gathering each item. As we walked, we talked about the shapes, colors, and sizes of each object, noticing how some acorns still had their caps while others didn’t, and how pine cones varied in size. Her favorites were the teeny tiny ones!

Once we returned home, we spread out her collection on the driveway and began counting. We organized them into small piles, first counting by ones and then grouping them into sets of five and ten. She enjoyed sorting and moving the items around, carefully counting and recounting until she was satisfied that she had the numbers just right. It was a joy to see her excitement build as her piles grew, and she couldn’t wait to tell me her final totals. She’s now so proud of her finds and can’t wait to bring her collection to school on Monday to share with her class.

This simple outdoor adventure turned into a wonderful counting activity that blended nature exploration with math practice. It gave her a tangible sense of quantity and a big boost of confidence in her counting skills. Plus, we got to do it together. Watching her delight in both collecting and counting reminded me how powerful hands-on learning can be, especially when it connects with her natural curiosity and excitement.