California Preschool Learning Foundations - ECEZero2Three ...

At around 48 months of age At around 60 months of age
1.3 Identify, without counting, the
number of objects in a collection of
up to three objects (i.e., subitize).
Examples Examples
• Perceives directly (visually, tactilely, or auditorily)
the number of objects in a small group without
needing to count them.
• Indicates or points to a pile of blocks and
communicates, “Three of them.”
• Attends to the child next to her at snack time
and communicates, “Clovey has two.”
• Looks briefly at a picture with three cats and
immediately communicates the quantity by
saying “three” or showing three fingers.
1.4 Count up to five objects, using
one-to-one correspondence (one
object for each number word) with
increasing accuracy.*
Examples Examples
• After building a block tower, counts the number
of blocks by pointing to the first block and communicating
“one,” then pointing to the next block
and communicating “two.” The child counts up
to five blocks.
• Indicates or points to each toy in a line while
communicating, “One, two, three, four, five.”
Number Sense | 149
1.3 Identify, without counting, the number
of objects in a collection of up to four
objects (i.e., subitize).
• Perceives directly (visually, tactilely, or auditorily)
the number of objects in a small group without
needing to count them.
• Looks briefly at a picture of four frogs and immediately
communicates the quantity four.
• During storytime, puts her hand on the picture
of four ladybugs and communicates, “Four ladybugs.”
• Correctly points out, “That’s three cars there.”
1.4 Count up to ten objects, using
one-to-one correspondence
(one object for each number word)
with increasing accuracy.*
• Indicates or points to a flower in the garden and
communicates, “one,” then points to another
flower and communicates, “two.” The child counts
up to seven different flowers.
• Counts ten children by identifying them one by
one during circle time.
• Counts the blocks in a pile, keeping track of which
blocks have already been counted.
• Counts out eight napkins in preparation for snack
time.
* Children with motor disabilities may need assistance manipulating objects in order to count them. Children may also
demonstrate knowledge of object counting by using eye-pointing or by counting while an adult or another child touches or
moves the objects.
California Department of Education • Preschool Learning Foundations, Volume 1
MATHEMATICS