Counting with Fingers the Math Way

When counting with your fingers most people tend to show the numbers starting with the index finger proceeding to the middle finger then ring finger, pinky and finally the thumb. 

While this method is perfectly fine for showing a quantity, we teach kindergartners to count with their fingers the math way. 

We teach students to count the math way starting at the left and moving to the right in order to prepare students for the number line. Students learn that numbers on the number line increase from left to right through the pattern of one more. This helps students to build number sense with the idea that each successive number refers to a quantity that is one more than the previous number. They also recognize that the number before any give number is one less than that number.  It may seem to be a very simple concept, but this change in how we count with our fingers allows students to grasp this concept with ease due to the process of moving from left to right when we add one more. We have fun playing games with math fingers as well!