Kids cannot learn pieces by pieces. They need to see the whole picture then dig in the pieces for details.
Montessori used Timelines to teach kids Cosmic lessons. I use this technique to help my son learn All the Sounds of the Alphabet before 2 years of age, and count to 100 when he was 2.5 years old. At 3.5 years old, he can do Montessori math designed for 4.5 years old kids.
Counting beads are great for kids to prepare for Arithmetic. All kids need to count before they can do more advanced