Does your little learner love scavenger hunts, but seems tired of the same ‘ol search? Give the standard scavenger hunt a special math twist by adding numbers into the mix. Have your preschooler practice his counting and work on recognizing numbers by sight before setting up a challenge for you or the next child.
What You Need:
- Paper
- Index cards
- Markers
- Removable Tape
What You Do:
- Before you invite your children to play, create a set of numbers for them to hunt. Draw one large balloon-style number on each sheet of paper. Make it colorful and fun with polka dots, stripes or whatever other designs you want.
- Do this for the numbers 1-10.
- Now make the scavenger hunt cards. On the front of the first index card, draw one large dot. Then, on the back of the card, write a 1. Repeat using two dots for 2 and so on until you have made ten cards.
- Explain to your child that he gets to hunt for the numbers one through ten.
- Hand your child a card, dot side up. Ask him how many dots it has. What number should they be looking for?
- Now the hunt is on! When your child finds a number, such as the number 2, have him check the back of the card. Did he find the right number? If so, he gets to move on to the next step. If not, encourage him to try again.
- Once the correct number has been found, he needs to take down the found number. If he has found the number 2, he needs to find two of something (two windows, 2 chairs, 2 photos) and hang the number up once he has identified the items.
Alter this game for a child who’s having troubles learning her numbers. Is she is confusing 2 and 5? On day one, have her locate the number two several times, each time finding pairs of objects around the room. On day two, have her find 5 several times. On day three, have her find both 2 and 5.
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Author: Mile High Mamas
