What's The Point

The purpose of this activity is to learn to use numbers, an important step toward learning how to add and subtract.

From the Virtual Pre-K: Ready For Math toolkit

This Activity Will Help Your Child

• Use symbols for "how many"
• Practice counting
• Learn "less than" and "more than"

Book Suggestions

• Chicka, Chicka 1, 2, 3
  by Bill Martin Jr.
• Ten Little Rabbits
  by Virginia Grossman & Sylvia Long

Supplies

• An empty cereal box, paper, or index cards
• Child-safe scissors
• Crayon or marker

How Do I Do It?

Cut out 20 playing-card sized rectangles from the empty cereal box. Make two sets of cards from 1 to 10. You can make dots to represent each number (one dot for 1, two dots for 2), and add the written numbers as your child starts recognizing numerals. You can also make cards with the written number on one side and the number of dots on the other.

Number Card Game Ideas:

• Count & Seek: Take Turns picking a card, reading the number, and then finding that number of objects from around the house - for example: 5 spoons, 3 barrettes, 2 toys.
• Count & Move: Take turns picking a card, reading the number on the card, and then doing a movement that number of times - for example: clap 5 times, jump 8 times, turn around 2 times.

Take It Further

Which is More?: Help your child count out 10 cards for each of you. Each player puts down one card, then together read the two numbers and decide which is more. The player with the larger number wins both cards. Continue playing until one player has all the cards.