One-to-one Correspondence is the third blog post in a series about the Counting Principles. These principles are helpful when developing children’s number sense. It’s not enough for them to learn to count by rote, they have to develop a strong foundation of numbers and counting.

You can see the other Counting Principle blog posts here.

What is One-to-Once Correspondence?

It is the ability to count each object in a set once, and only once. This usually involves touching each object while saying the number.

Why is One-to-One Correspondence important?

Developing this skill is vital to be able to solve problems, compare sets, and count the number of objects in a set accurately.

Activities

Any counting activities using manipulatives is perfect for developing this skill. They can move the object out of the way as they count.

You can also count throughout the day during a variety of activities.

Here are some blog posts with more math center ideas to practice counting: apple seed counting, pompoms and ice cube tray, elastics and toothpicks.

One-to-One Correspondence Number Cards

You can use the number cards with math manipulatives to build students’ one-to-one correspondence skills. They can place objects on the dots as they count, and they can count as they take them away.

If you would like to use these cards, they are a free download in my Resource Library (if you do not have he password, sign up for my newsletter and it will be sent to you):

One-to-One Correspondence Activities

If your students need more practice with their one-to-one correspondence skills, these activities are great:

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