Purpose:
You can help your child to learn to read and sequence numbers.
What to do:
When you are walking with your child, ask your child to read the numbers on the letterboxes.
- What is the number on that letterbox?
- What will the next number be?
- What was the number before this one?
As letterboxes are usually odd on one side of the street and even on the other, this is also an excellent way counting to practise counting in twos.
- 2, 4, 6 …
- 57, 59, 61…
What to expect your child to do:
- Read the numbers without reversing the digits. For example 25 is read as "twenty five" rather then "fifty two."
- Know the difference between ‘teen’ and ‘ty’ numbers, for example 15 and 50.
- Start to read numbers with three digits, for example 341, 113, 256.
He Kupu Māori:
| letter box | pouaka reta |
| even number | taurua |
| odd number | taukehe |
| count in twos | tatau mawhiti-rua |
| count backwards | tatau whakamuri |
He Whakawhitinga Kōrero:
- Pānuihia mai te tau o tērā pouaka reta. (Read me the number on that letter box.)
- He aha te tau e whai mai ana i tērā? (What is the number that follows that one?)
- He aha te tau i mua i tērā? (What was the number before that one?)
- He taurua, he taukehe rānei tērā tau? (Is that number an odd or even number?)
- Tatau mawhiti-rua. Tīmata i te rima tekau mā whitu. (Count up in twos. Start at 57.)
- Tatau mawhiti-rua whakamuri. Tīmata i te rima tekau mā whitu. (Count backward in two’s. Start at 57.)
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