This 5-year-old counts with confidence, knows how to keep track of what she has counted, and is familiar with the pattern of the numbers. Notice that she sounds uncertain when she does not know what comes next.

It is common for children to confuse the order of decades (20, 30, 40…) when they are learning to count.

 

 

Here are some things we see and hear that she does know:
–  the number sequence up to 49
–  that she us unsure of the number after 49
–  to keep track of the objects as she counts
–  the pattern of the numbers within each decade (after 40 to say 41,42,43…)

Here are some things that she does not know:
–  the order of the decades (even though she may be able to recite “10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90,” once she inserts the numbers 41, 42, 43, …59 she no longer remembers the next decade

You might want to watch her again.

1) Learning To Count Is Hard Work
2) Help Your Child Learn To Count
3) There May Be More To Learn
4) Help Your Child Count Even Better