Archive for the ‘Math Activities’ Category
Paper Bag Counting Activity
November 6th, 2009 | 
Author: by Rachel Paxton
When most people think of working on math skills, they picture sitting at a table and working on a math worksheet. Preschool-aged children aren’t ready to work at this level, but it’s not too soon to start introducing math concepts through math manipulatives. Manipulatives are items they can touch and play with. They can count them and sort them into groups. They make math much more visual and it is easier for them to understand basic math concepts.
There are many counting and sorting games you can play with your preschooler, but this paper bag activity is easy and fun to put together. All you need is some paper lunch bags, a marker, and something to sort into the bags. You can put as much effort into it as you want or have time for. Ours had a Halloween theme. The bags had pictures of haunted houses on them, and we sorted ghosts into the bags. You could adapt this idea for any subject, season, or holiday. It would be fun to use acorns for fall, snowmen for winter, or Easter eggs for Easter.
To get the activity ready for your child, you need to use the marker to write one number on the front of each bag: 1, 2, 3, etc. We used ten bags. You can also write the word next to the number, for example “one”, “two”, etc.
Open up the paper bags and set them out for your child. Help your child identify the number on each bag and have him or her sort their items into the bags.
That’s it! This activity is easy to pull out and set up when your child needs something to do.
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Paper Plate Clock Activity
by Rachel Paxton
When your preschool-aged child starts to recognize numbers, you can also work with him on learning to tell time. With this fun paper plate clock activity, your child will be excited to learn how to read the hands of a clock. For this activity you will need:
- Paper plate
- Metal brad
- Marking pen
- Construction paper
- Hole punch
- Scissors
Your child will need your help with this activity. To get it ready for your child, use the point of the scissors to poke a hole in the center of the plate. Then use the marking pen to place dots around the edge of the paper plate where the numbers should go. Lastly, cut two small clock hands out of construction paper and use the hole punch to punch a hole at the end of each clock hand.
Next help your child assemble the clock. Let your child write the numbers around the edge of the paper plate. If your child isn’t writing yet, lightly write the numbers with a pencil and then let your child trace over them with the marking pen.
Help your child place the brad through the two hands of the clock and then through the center of the plate and fasten the brad to the back of the plate.
That’s it! My boys had a great time with this clock activity. They loved writing the numbers on it, and then for the next two days asked me all day what time it was and then moved the hands on the clock to the correct time. They placed their clocks near a real clock so they could make sure that their clocks showed the correct time. A great learning activity!
