The Adult or Child or both the Adult and Child:
• "Ten, nine, eight."
• "Twenty, nineteen, eighteen."
• "One hundred, ninety-nine, ninety-eight."
• "One hundred, ninety, eighty, seventy."
• "Twenty, eighteen, sixteen."
• "One thousand, nine hundred, eight hundred, ..."

      This counting game is another game which is elementary yet important. And, perfect for playing while traveling. It can help a child in the ordering of numbers or with one model of subtraction. COUNTING BACKWARDS is not nearly as easy as counting in the normal fashion. Even adults may have to think when counting backwards.

      An introduction to the game of COUNTING BACKWARDS is included in ACTIVITIES IN THE BATHTUB and illustrates launching a rocket. Please read that section. An elementary game might start with Adult and Child alternately saying: "Ten."

      "Nine."

      "Eight."

      Or, both saying, "Ten, nine, eight."

      A more advanced game might begin with "Twenty, nineteen, eighteen," or with "One hundred, ninety-nine, ninety-eight."

      Games which should also be played include sequences like "One hundred, ninety, eighty, seventy," or "twenty, eighteen, sixteen." With the truly experienced child, one would try, "One thousand, nine hundred, eight hundred, ..."

      The game helps reinforce the order of numbers and prepares the child to answer some tricky questions in the game of WHAT'S THE ...? as in "what's the number before seventy-four" possibly played in the advanced version of BINGO in THE HUNDREDS BOARD.