Cats & Dogs Counting Set

Made for the kind of play that earns shelf space

Learning to count is easier when the counters are something the child already loves. These are the same double-sided maple cats and cherry dogs that live inside our Pet-Themed Ten Frame and Cats vs. Dogs Tic Tac Toe, offered on their own so you can fill a sensory bin, stock a classroom math shelf, or hand a larger pile to a child who has already counted past ten.

Instead of paint, we use the color contrast between the two woods to do the teaching. The pale maple cats and warm cherry dogs invite a child to sort by animal without anyone explaining the rule, and having two colors lets them build a set of ten two different ways, compare two groups side by side, and notice doubles and even numbers before those words mean anything. There is no dye or paint anywhere in this set.

Each piece is cut from solid hardwood rather than plywood, laser-engraved with the face and paws, and finished by hand with food-safe beeswax and jojoba oil. At roughly 2.25 by 1.25 inches, the pieces are sized for small hands and carry enough weight to sit still where a child puts them.

Open-ended by design. Drop them into a rice or bean sensory bin as hidden treasure to find and sort, use them as story characters for a child who narrates their play, or line them up as counters alongside whatever math curriculum you already use. They make good party favors for a pet-themed birthday, too.