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 Take advantage of each opportunity to have the child count actions or objects. Examples, going up or down steps, putting silverware on the table, counting stamps in coupon books, eggs in a carton, letters in the mail, etc.
Have the child build stair steps with blocks going from left to right and making each step one higher from 1 to 5 or 1 to 10.
Play store using oak tag paper cut in small discs to represent pennies. Each child should get 30 discs. When a child buys something, he is to count out the right amount of discs. Four-year-old children should be able to count up to 20 and five-year-old children should count up to 30. Items can cost from 3 cents to 30 cents.
To develop concept of number-numeral correspondence draw a large cake on the chalkboard and call on a child to draw the corresponding number of candles on the cake. Give each player a chance to draw candles on the cake, but use a different numeral on the chalkboard for each child. Erase the candles after each child finishes.
Play “In and Out of the Circle”. Make a large string circle on the floor. Select five children to stand close together inside the circle. They then stand far apart outside the circle. Inquire: Are there more children outside than there were inside the circle? How do you know?
Using 6 measuring spoons, 5 measuring cups, or 4 graduated mixing bowls have the child put the objects in graduated order from smallest to largest or largest to smallest. This activity can be extended to talking about measuring, more and less and about ordinal positions – first, last, middle and second. Cuisenaire or centimeter rods are useful, too, for sequencing.
Construct a “number road” on the floor with masking tape. Number the squares from 1 to 10 in order. Have the child walk the number road in order and say each numeral as he stands in the box.
Use egg cartons and beans, buttons or other small objects and have the child place the correct number of things in each section to match the numeral written in the corresponding space. If numerals are written on small cardboard circles or other markers, the arrangement and the level of difficulty of the number concepts being learned can be varied more easily to meet individual needs.
Use a combination of bouncing balls, clapping hands and/or stamping feet, etc. in patterns to correspond to the number concepts being learned. Chanting the numerals along with the movement will reinforce the counting and the concept being learned. Variations in the patterns can be introduced as the child’s master of number concepts increases.
Prepare a measuring stick to be fastened vertically to a wall or doorway and encourage the child to notice how the numbers increase as taller objects are “measured.” Initially the units on the measuring device could be determined by the size of the child’s hand or foot, with alternating colors to mark the units. This way the numbers to be “read” will be within the range of numbers that are meaningful to the child. If metrics are preferred, a unit of about 30cm may be appropriate.
Prepare activity sheets with rows of people, animals, cars, etc. all of one kind moving in one direction. Have the child mark the one which is first, last, in the middle, in front of, etc. If the drawings also vary as to size, the concepts being discussed can include larger, smaller, etc.
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