Counting, recognizing numbers, and using one-to-one correspondence are excellent ways for preschoolers to practice math skills. Parents can facilitate this practice by making simple games to use at home. Using concepts that are already familiar to your children helps to make connections for them. For this reason, we are using weather for this particular math activity, but you can adapt this fun project to incorporate any idea you like!
Supplies Needed:
Weather Counting Cards: I downloaded these from pocketofpreschool.com, but you can easily make your own!
Snow: cotton balls or marshmallows
Rain: blue gemstones
Lightning: yellow chenille stems
Trays or bowls to hold your supplies, if you like
What Next?
Pull a card from the pile of counting cards.
Identify the weather element on the card.
Identify the number on the card.
Count the correct number of items to correspond with your weather element. Point at each item and count aloud.
Continue until you run out of items, then start over again!
Expand this idea…
…by making cards with other elements and collecting corresponding items from your home. Maybe you would like to practice counting by using different colors of legos or maybe you want to count zoo animals. Your possibilities are endless! Have fun exploring with math today!