Children have an early understanding of the principle of counting. Recent research has shown that even children between the ages of 15 and 18 months recognize initial associations between spoken numbers and named objects. Independent counting begins around the age of 2 years. Little finger rhymes, songs and verses that deal with the number of ears, hands and feet offer the little ones a lot of fun and give a first sense of numbers.

Especially young children are well acquainted with movement games with the world of numbers. Unlike pure numerical exercises on a sheet of paper, the fun and the movement are in the foreground. The learning of the numbers is perceived by the children only as an aid to the game.