Activity
Early mathematicsMake or substitute
Counting rods with household lengths
Makes quantity something the child can see and hold at once, before any numeral is introduced.
- Ages
- 4–5, 5–6 years
- Prep
- 15 minutes
Put this to work this week
A week gives you what to gather, one change at home and one thing to observe. It starts with four short questions.
Readiness signs
Signs to look for, not a checklist to pass.
- Counts objects one by one and stops at the last
- Notices longer and shorter
- Wants to know how many
What to gather
Ten strips of card or wood in lengths from 10cm to 100cm, marked in alternating 10cm sections
How to present it
Show it slowly and in silence. Your hands are the lesson.
- 1Lay the rods out mixed, then build them into a stair from longest to shortest.
- 2Take the shortest and count it: one.
- 3Take the next and count both sections: one, two. Always start counting from the first section.
- 4Work up to five before introducing the rest.
What to say — and what to avoid
Say
- One. One, two.
- Bring me the rod of three.
Avoid
- Count to ten
- You already know this
Control of error
The stair only forms a clean diagonal when every rod is in the correct place.
What to observe
Take these into the next cycle rather than judging the session.
- Does your child recount from the first section each time?
- Do they build the stair without help?
- Do they ask for a rod by its number?
Simplify or extend
If it's too hard
Use five rods only, from one to five.
Once it's mastered
Add numeral cards, then lay out the pairs that make ten.
Sources and review
Nothing publishes here without a named reviewer and the sources it rests on.
Reviewed by Nicole · August 2026
- The Discovery of the Child — Maria Montessori. Introduction to numbers: the number rods