18 month old can count

[Samwarner42]

My 18 month old can count to 5. I thought it was just repetition at first but she brings me things and counts them into my hand. She also counts the stairs when we go up to bed. She's my first so I have no idea if this is expected at this age. Is my kid super cool or am I just having a proud mummy moment :-)

It's more advanced than some but children seem to master different skills at different times. Some may show skills early in climbing or using a scooter, some may learn colours quickly, some may be able to dress themselves early, amazingly a friend's under 2 year old could point out many places on a globe! It's lovely to see them acquiring new skills that develop out of their own inquisitiveness. Sounds like she enjoys numbers!

Sounds like you have a clever little bean!
My DD was like this. Knew the alphabet (and phonics) by two, knew her numbers up to twenty and could add and subtract by three. She can already read short sentences at 3 and a half.

Yes, she is insanely clever. She was also diagnosed as autistic this year. She has a place in a moderate learning difficulty unit as her school. Not because she has trouble learning, but because her anxiety means she won't cope in mainstream, despite her talents.

I am heartbroken, but want her to be happy.

Sorry, didn't mean to poop all over your thread.

You should be proud that's a huge achievement!.
My 2nd daughter was very good at counting and could count to 20 by the time she was 14 months and say her abcs by the time she was 2, however she's no genius and it turns out she was just good at language and remembering the sequence of words.
My 4 1/2 year old has special needs and can't talk let alone count, but she shows more 'genius' with numbers then her sister does at 7.
Just carry on with the teaching Methods you're going and helping her to thrive and you never know where it might take her.

There are lots of thread about this kind of thread on G & T board. I would read them.

Encourage her and give her lots of interesting opportunity. Follow her lead.

*this kind of topic

She's no doubt very clever but you're just having a proud mummy moment, IMVHO.

My DD1 could count to 3 at 16 months and count to 10 by 18 months. She could also count objects. She's almost 10 now and while she is very bright, she's not a mathematical genius. In fact maths is her weakest subject.

DD2 couldn't count at all until she was about 2. Had hardly any words at all until 2 years but her maths is better at age 6 than DD1's was.

I think what is good is that you have taught her to count in a way which is engaging her interest. Look at the Ceebeebies website for more ideas of how to help her with maths at this age.

Its very exciting when this happens.

Dd was the same. Fantastic vocabulary, could count at 18 months, could read and write before reception. And she is the youngest in her year.

At four she was explaining how a nuclear reactor works to her engineer uncle. She is actually following in his footsteps.

Dd is now 13 and does well at school. But not gifted or talented and maths isnt her strongest subject. She has to work hard to be good at it.

Ds was the opposite. Late talker, not interested in reading or writing or counting.

Ds is 6 and great at maths. Far above his peers at the moment. His reading and writing is excellent too. I can imagine that at 13 he will be around tge same place as dd. Doing well but not freakishly so.

Some kids just develop differently and at different times.

My mum wanted dd enrolled in a programme for gifted children as an extra curricula. Me and dh didnt. We wanted her to go at her own pace.

Also i have no idea where the kids brains came from. Me and dh arent massivly intelligent and just did ok at school. Although we both probably have done a lot more studying since we hit 25.

My DD could count before she could walk. I remember being at a music group where the babies had been given blocks so we could sing "building a tower" while stacking the blocks, and DD lining them up and counting them, while the other mums looked on agog.

DD is 9 now, and is very much average at maths. It's also by far her least favourite subject.

IME keeping and developing a child's interest in maths is helped by making it as visual and fun as possible. Just as a for instance, learning number bonds to 10, you can do it by rote or you can get some graph paper and cut out two sets of "stairs" to 10 , colour the columns and then show the child how they fit together to make columns of 10.

Dd is 13 and still loves maths and science.

Nurture her love of counting because, even if she doesn't turn out to have a particular genius for maths (she may well do), she will not be intimidated by it and that is worth its weight in gold.

She sounds as though she has a very bright, inquiring mind. My eldest could point out any letter of the alphabet when he was about a year old (Countdown was always on at his granny's house!) and I would say he is above average at reading and spelling, without being out of the ordinary. It was a great party trick at the time though!

Not at all.... I hope she enjoys her school x

Yeah I'm Pap at numbers so I'm glad she likes them, what does imvho mean

My DD could also do this. I'm afraid that at 7, while relatively bright, she is no maths genius!

Well done to your DD! My twin DDs could both count to 10 when they were that age, however they are now 8 and from what I can tell neither of them are amazingly good at maths. We have been told they are both above average for their age, but they seem to struggle sometimes with work they are given.

IMO the pressure of school can take away from their academic ability. DD1 has ADHD (as do I) so she finds it increasingly difficult to concentrate in lessons and is enjoying school less and less. She would progress much better in an environment where she could go at her own pace and not be preoccupied with sitting still, not talking etc. While both DDs are still fairly intelligent, DD1 is slipping further and further behind due to her lack of interest.

Sorry if I spoilt your excitement OP

Ds could speak a word at that age (he didn't say anything until he was 3) but could order numerals up to 10, point to the correct number in books, point to the correct numbers on numbers on car number plates, at door numbers, order things in order of size, etc. Counting is just one aspect of maths so look for other opportunities to learn. His interest grew and he is now 10 G&T in maths.

I'm proud of my little bean too as he sits and concentrates on a whole heap of tasks and has done since he was about 7 months. He loves books, and toys and ride ons and dancing and clapping and I just adore the bones of him.

This is a gorgeous age, especially since the terrible twos will kick in soon and your'll be dealing with tantrums galore no doubt.

My elder daughter was similar to yours.

When my second daughter was 17-19 months old then my mom said by then my elder daughter could read car plates, any number, any letter. I didnt really think about it at all by then as I was too busy working and trying for number 2. We watched the old videos we took and still now we are amazed that she could do it after just a month my mom was here helping out and showing her the numbers, letters. My second daughter wasnt be able even to walk well, hardly made a sound, she only be able to say mom when she past her 2nd birthday. It turned out my elder daughter has a very good memory(some of her teachers said she had photographic memory). She is 9 now and in yr 4, her speaking early didnt make her learning languagues well, for some reasons we just are not good at languague. Her good memory helped her to quickly be advanced at maths at school (memorise times table by just glancing at it few times) although without having right support, hard work and right environment later on her life then it wont bring her any where. For smart children who has a great memory I think its hardest to build love of learning, patience and encourage them to work hard because they just happen to be able to grasp any new concept very easily. The thing is, learning and being very good at a subject requires more than that. I have been giving her challenge in music, chess, art...I am still continuously finding a way to help her better. She is now reading all books about space, time travel and some of these books look scary with loads of mathematical concepts in the back ground. I am sure this phase will soon fade. I hope she keeps and builds her love of learning and understands that to reach high there needs alot of hard work.

My DD2 could count to 100 at 2 and is still years ahead in math at 9. I was good but she's inherently more 'mathy' than me. They don't all even out.

I think being able to count to 5 is more about memory than maths ability. But a good memory is a big component of intelligence.
Tbh i don't know if being able to remember 5 much rehearsed words in sequence at 18 months is particularly remarkable or not. Ds1 could count to 12 when he was 13 months. (I wouldn't remember except I have him on a dated video doing it) and he is a talented mathematician and he does have an unusually good memory. So maybe it was an early sign or maybe I'd just taught him to parrot it??

Looking back what I am sure now was an early sign of intelligence was the way he tried to rain or the world. He just played a little bit different from other children his age. It wasn'tbad at all, but the concentration and the focus on teaching himself things was noticeably different

My DD2 could do up to 20 in English, French and German as a really little toddler. DD1 taught her to do it. It was through repetition but that's how little ones learn things 😊 it was really cute to hear her doing it too.

my son was like that.
He also spent time in a PRU and has a total of 6 GCSEs.
He now works on a building site, if he has not been sacked.

It's lovely to be proud of their achievements. My daughter could sing the ABC by 18 months and count to 20. She's 4 nearly 5 now and pretty average in school.

If you have a child who can count, the next thing is to get them counting things, rather than just remembering a list. Can they count, say, 3 toys? Next get them adding: You have 2 sweets, how many will you have if I give you one more?
I think a lot of people teach their children to count, but leave it at that, rather than go on to the next step.