We've been working on 1:1 correspondence lately. It simply means recognizing, for example, that the number 3 stands for 3 separate objects. Simple to say, difficult for some preschoolers to grasp at first. But it's a crucial skill that lays the foundation for adding, subtracting and all those other important math functions that they'll learn in later years.
For this activity, I cut up paper towel rolls and put a number on each of them. Then I lined them up, set out some glass gems and waited until Kay found it on her own.
She did and we lay out the right number of gems together, sometimes lining them up in front, sometimes dropping them into the tube.
Didn't hold her attention very long though. She soon moved on to using the cardboard tubes as people, "Hello Mr. 4. How are you?" "Good, Miss 9." (At least they were polite number people!)
Here are some other creative ideas for working on this early math skill:
*No Time for Flash Cards made these cute lady bug cut-outs and had the children add a given number of spots.
*Hands On: As We Grow created a fun twist on counting blocks by adding a toy truck and block towers
*The Measured Mom used paper ice cream cones and had her little one add the corresponding number of "scoops"
*Coffee Cups and Crayons used snack time to sneak in some learning
*Fun-A-Day has several activities to help with 1:1 correspondence.
*And Kay had a lot of fun with this Lily Pad Number Game, my guest post at Teach Mama.
*Hands On: As We Grow created a fun twist on counting blocks by adding a toy truck and block towers
*The Measured Mom used paper ice cream cones and had her little one add the corresponding number of "scoops"
*Coffee Cups and Crayons used snack time to sneak in some learning
*Fun-A-Day has several activities to help with 1:1 correspondence.
*And Kay had a lot of fun with this Lily Pad Number Game, my guest post at Teach Mama.
