Counting Beads: Fun Easy Math Activity for Preschool
I got the idea for this activity while
we were putting together a number puzzle which I found at the dollar
store. (It has all of the uppercase letters plus the numbers 0-9. I
often separate out the letters and numbers for different activities.
You really can't beat $1 for a resource like that!) Why not use it
for counting too?
Your child will work on math skills
including counting objects in quantities of zero through nine as well
as number recognition of single digit numbers. Picking up the beads
with a pincer grasp is also excellent fine motor practice.
Remember that if you are doing this
activity with a young child, make sure they are supervised throughout
to ensure that they do not swallow any of the beads or pieces of the
foam puzzle.
What You Will Need for the Counting Activity:
- a foam number puzzle
- pony beads
Doing the Activity with Your Child
First, put together the puzzle with your child. We created a number line with zero at the left and nine at the right. We talked about each number and counted from left to right.
Then we counted out the appropriate
number of beads for each number one at a time(Little M. was a bit
fascinated with the idea of zero beads!)
I found that the beads like to roll
away, especially with an exuberant kid waving her hands around in
literally every direction. (Hey, I'm not complaining-I'm just happy
she's this excited about math!) Our solution was actually to pop out
the numbers and leave the empty puzzle pieces on the table. The
beads fir right inside where the number used to be. Perfect!
When you finish counting all of the
beads for each number, you will have a neat visual representation of
the numbers 0-9. Little M. enjoyed it so much, we did it again!
If you found this activity useful,
please share or leave a comment below. I'd love to hear from you!
If you enjoyed this activity, another math activity you may enjoy is
the Counting Buttons
Activity.
Comments
Post a Comment