ABSTRACT
Noticing and remembering the nature of small groups is the absolute beginning of both making comparisons and learning that quantities have names. Newborns can distinguish two objects from three and possibly three objects from four. There is growing awareness that some otherwise able children have number sense problems. They cannot discern the 'twoness' or 'threeness' of a group, which means they do not develop a 'feel for number'. The feel of a sound group 'da da da' is as distinctly different from 'da da da da', as are their visual counterparts. The same number sense limitations apply – it is easy to register three sounds, but difficult when there are more than four or five sounds. Fingers are a natural element of learning number used by children in all mathematical cultures without being formally taught.
