Is counting with fingers bad for your child?

Are you and your child relying on finger counting to help with numbers? We share why finger counting can hinder your child's mathematical abilities in the long run.

Finger counting

Learning to count is one of the most basic skills that we teach our children. They use their fingers, hands and even toes sometimes as a tool to help comprehend the concept of counting. But are we putting them at a disadvantage by letting them count with their fingers?

Memory-based retrieval methods helped kids solve problems faster

Counting on fingers is a procedural based strategy vs using a memory-based retrieval method. Researchers from Stanford found that if the child’s brain does not have to labour over simple math - ie relying on memory instead of procedure, there is more short-term memory space available in their brain to learn new concepts, so they catch on earlier and faster. This gives them a competitive advantage and thus they are more likely to outperform their peers.

Discourage mental math development

The fingers are a visual way to count, but it tends to be only effective in the initial stages of childhood. As students, encounter bigger numbers and mental prowess is needed for calculations, relying on finger counting can prove to be a setback as it can discourage the mental math development of a child.

Being able to visualise equations in your mind is known as mental math. For example, the equation 25 – 9, a student who sees the equation in their mind might see it this way 25 – 10 (-1), while those who finger count might need to utilise their toes and their friend’s fingers for this equation.

Timed tests

The fact is that finger counting takes time. In a test or exam, your child will not have the luxury of spending ample amount of time to add and subtract using their fingers.

The pressure of getting the answers right within a specified amount of time could also lead to finger counting incorrectly, leading to careless mistakes.

Becoming a crutch

For the exact reason that your fingers are always with you, some students can use it as a crutch to reject memorising equations or mathematical facts.

It can make them feel that they can always rely on their fingers to get the job done. This closes them off to learning new skills, and hinders memorisation techniques.

Dragging your child down

As your child moves up in school, they will learn more complex mathematical concepts. The focus will not just be on simple addition and subtraction, which most teachers will assume students have mastered.

Teachers spend more time explaining complex concepts and formulas instead of spending any time on the addition and subtraction portion of the equation. This in turn could create a problem for the student, who relies on finger counting, leaving them behind in class and being unable to cope with the lesson(s).

Is it all bad news?

Having said that, finger counting isn’t all bad and no good. After all is said and done, it is still the first way that children learn to count and understand the concept of numbers.

The most important thing to remember is to make sure your child does not rely too much on finger counting, and is equally familiar and open to the other ways of working equations.

Written by

Wafa Marican

pros and cons