Do Babies Count?

I was talking with a group of friends that are all using the Fire Away With Finger Patterns method with their young children. One friend told me she uses it with her one-year-old son. She said that he loved it when she said, "Fire away!" We all play games with our babies, tickling their toes, kissing them, reading books and singing songs. What about counting? How can we include them in counting? Please watch the attached video to see that babies count too!

Babies Count Too Tickle Game

I started playing this game with my 15-month-old son last week. I say and fire away finger patterns from one to five and of course follow it with lots tickling. His giggling increases with each number as he anticipates the tickle. Sometimes he tries to count along with his fingers even though he cannot talk yet! It is amazing to see them start to understand counting and quantity.

1. Fire away your finger patterns starting at one building to five.
2. Say each number as you fire away.
3. After five, tickle them all over.
4. Once they understand the game, try it without words and just use finger patterns followed by tickling.