Magician's Trick [Counter from N (N + 1, N -1)]

Quick Description:

Children use counting cards placed in numerical order and use their "magician's tricks" (counting) to tell which card it is without looking. (This Building Blocks activity was modified in a research project* building activities that develop both mathematics and executive function competencies.)

Practice-based Research: Magician's Trick develops children’s counting and ordering skills, which build number sense. The emphasis here is to avoiding having to count from 1 and continue the counting sequence from any known number.  Also, understanding that the numeral before 10 is 9 develops a sense of the order and relative size of numerals. Children begin to learn that math can be used to make accurate predictions.