Numbers

I still need to get a new 2012 calendar. It’s actually starting to drive me nuts … and I’m getting several post-it notes with dates and times that I need to write down.

Last week we did our Numbers Day.

It really is fun to start out with a new calendar and have the kids write a number in each box each day, but because mom was not prepared for that one, we did our other activities and had a lot of fun. I’ve realized that preschool doesn’t have to be perfect, my kids just love the time that I spend sitting down with them working on a project or playing together.

 

• My Numbers Book … print here.
  1. You can see the difference between my 4-year-old (left) and my 2-year-old (right) Either way, they were learning, writing, stickering and enjoying it!
  2. Print, cut in half and staple the “My Numbers Book” here.
  3. Trace the numbers.
  4. Count the butterflies and put a sticker on each. We have a drawer that I keep stocked with stickers. I pulled it out and they chose which stickers they wanted on each page.
  5. We did all 10 pages, but it was a lot. If it’s too much, don’t push it and do the rest tomorrow.
  6. Read your finished book together!
     1. NOTE: my 4-year-old loves being able to “read” a book by himself. So it was fun for him to read his stickers … “two smiley faces … three spiders … four dogs”

• “Get the Wiggles Out” Counting Game … I’ve posted this idea before but this is the first time we’ve actually played it and my kids loved it. Seriously, loved it. We played at least three times.
  1. On several slips of paper, write down an action. Some that we used:
     • Clap
     • Jumping Jacks
     • Rocket Jumps (crouch down, count down from 5, jump up as high as you can!)
     • Run around the table
     • Shake your bootie
  2. Fold up the action cards and place in a cup.
  3. Roll a dice and count the dots.
  4. Then draw an action card and do it that many times, counting as you go. So if we rolled a 4 and chose “JUMP!” we would jump really high 4 times.

 

• Cars Monopoly … ok, so I’m not trying to advertise but this has been a great game. We got it for my 4-year-old for Christmas because my kids love Monopoly but I (h-a-t-e) it. They know that’s the one game I won’t play with them. I will gladly play Cars Monopoly with them
  1. You spin Lightning McQueen along the racetrack to “roll the dice” … whatever number he stops on, you move that many spaces.
  2. The money is $1 bills. That’s it.
  3. The properties cost $1-$5. That’s it. Love it. Same with rent.
  4. Pass Go, Collect … $2. Love it.
  5. You put a tire on the property you own. If you own both, rent goes up $1. So simple.
  6. When the money runs out, the game is over. It lasts about 20 minutes.
  7. I LOVE IT.
  8. And the counting practice is perfect for these little guys.

The rest of the day, I just made it a point to count and point out numbers. We counted our snacks and noticed the numbers on the clock and counted how many books were in our stack to read for quiet time. Lots of numbers!