Counting Forward from Any Number Up to 20 Without Starting Over at One

This is not just for paper. A shopkeeper who already knows a shelf holds twelve cans does not recount them. He starts at twelve and counts on as he adds more. Starting where you are saves time in real work. This is worth learning because counting on is the first real addition strategy you will use.

Watch for it today, and when you spot it, tell someone what you noticed and how you knew. Today you get to learn something useful. You do not always have to start at one. If you already know there are eight blocks in the box, you can start at eight and keep going: nine, ten, eleven.

This is faster and it saves your fingers. Practice starting at seven and counting to twenty. Then start at thirteen and count to twenty. The number words keep the same order no matter where you jump in, so once you know the order you can begin anywhere.

The hard spot is right before a new ten. Many people say eighteen, nineteen, and then stop. Practice nine to ten, nineteen to twenty, and twenty nine to thirty until those three jumps feel easy. Once those are smooth, the rest of counting takes care of itself. Go slowly the first time and faster the fifth time.