Counting Beyond 1–2–3: Exploring Math Through the Many Ways Cultures Count
We often treat “1, 2, 3…” as if it’s the only way humans have ever counted. But here’s the good news: math has never belonged to just one culture, one story, or one way of thinking. People everywhere — throughout history and across the world — developed their own brilliant, creative ways to keep track of sheep, stars, seasons, stories, and each other. This week, we’re expanding the idea of what “counts” as counting.
Here are a few counting systems to explore together:
Counting in 20s — The Maya
The Maya used a base-20 system (vigesimal).
Try this with your kids: write your age in base-20, or try counting your steps that way. Your tens become twenties, your hundreds become four-hundreds — everything stretches. This shows that numbers can be flexible.
Counting in 60s — Ancient Babylonia
Babylonians counted in base-60 — and we still use it today for time.
Ask your kids: Why does a minute have 60 seconds? Why does a circle have 360 degrees?
This is math history hiding in plain sight. It shows that we measure time and space in lots of different ways.
Counting with finger bones — Across Asia and the Middle East
By touching the tip of your thumb to each bone of your four fingers, you can count to 12 on one hand.
Ask your kids: “How can you use both hands to count to 60?” (They can keep track of the groups of 12 on one hand, and the individual numbers on the other). This shows the history of portable calculators, and how humans relate ourselves to concepts of math.
Counting in fives — the Oksapmin (Papua New Guinea) and beyond
The Oksapmin people use body counting — pointing to different body parts in a specific order to count.
Try this with your kids: invent your own “body count” system! You can use your fingers, toes, ears, joints… the list is endless. See how high you can go as a family. This shows other ways that numbers can be represented.
Counting in patterns — Yoruba (Nigeria)
Yoruba numbers are built using beautiful patterns and decompositions.
Thirty-five is “twenty minus five from ten.”
Counting doesn’t have to be linear — it can be creative and unique.
Ask your kids: “How many different ways could we rename the number 35? What about 67?” This shows that numbers can be broken down and recombined in different ways.
Counting by relationships — Indigenous North American nations
Many Indigenous counting systems focus on the meaning of a set of things, rather than the exact digits. A bundle, a pair, a group, or a whole — the math centers around what the set means.
This is a great entry point for young learners who are already thinking in categories. This shows math in real-world situations, and why we use math in our everyday lives.
More ways to learn together
Count objects in different ways. Grab some toys, snacks, leaves, or other objects. Count them in one base system (like the Maya base-20). Then scramble the objects up, and try counting them again in another (like some folks in the Middle East).
Make your own symbols for numbers. Who says a 3 has to look like that? Could you represent numbers with lines? Doodles? Once you’ve made your own symbols, try writing the date in your new system.
Ask open-ended questions. “What would skip-counting look like in base-5? Base-12?” “What about multiplying?”
Challenge older kids, too. Encourage critical thinking by asking questions like, “Why do some systems make certain math problems easier?” “Who designed the system I’m using?” “Am I using multiple systems at the same time?”
Decolonizing math doesn’t mean removing anything — it means widening the circle. It means remembering that math is a human story, built by everyone, shaped by culture and geography, and carried forward by curiosity.
