“Just” counting: Young children's oral counting and enumeration

Abstract

SUMMARY This article focuses on the specific skills and abilities of young children in oral counting and enumeration. Responses to an oral counting task and an enumeration task by a sample (n=93) of 3- and 4-year old children attending a range of pre-five establishments in an urban district of northern England are described. The findings, whilst providing partial support to previous work, have features that differ from the results in earlier studies, and offer some additional insights into young children's performance in oral counting and enumeration. The implications for those working with young children, as well as for the direction of further research, are discussed.