Morphological awareness longitudinally predicts counting ability in Chinese kindergarteners

• Compounding morphological awareness at K2 predicts counting sequence at K3.
• Compounding morphological awareness at K2 predicts counting forward at K3.
• Visual–spatial skills and phonological awareness at K2 predict counting backward at K3.

This longitudinal study examined the extent to which morphological awareness in Chinese uniquely predicted counting ability in a Hong Kong sample. With age, nonverbal intelligence, visual–spatial skills, and phonological awareness being controlled, morphological awareness at the second year of kindergarten (K2) uniquely predicted children's abilities in counting sequence and counting forward at the third year of kindergarten (K3). Phonological awareness and visual–spatial skills at K2 explained unique variance in the ability of counting backward but not in the counting sequence or counting forward at K3. These findings contribute to our understanding of the association between metalinguistic skills and the development of numerical ability.