Number sense takes practice. Our youngest son is getting
good at counting and associating numerals. I wanted to reinforce what he's
learned and introduce simple addition sentences.
I made a fun game to play with him. Not only does it practice math, it also works fine motor skills.
Because he's five and
his attention span is still pretty short for seated activities, we only played
for 10 minutes. I know we'll be playing it again… and again… and again,
though.
Want to play?
What You Need
Die
1-page PDF of Button it Up Game Board (download it free here)
Paper (1 sheet to print the PDF on)
12 small buttons (6 of each color)
Plastic Sheet Protector (or laminate)
Fine-tip dry-erase marker
How to Play
Once your game board is printed and either laminated or
placed inside a plastic sheet protector, you're ready for your child to play.
1. Have him/her roll the die and count the dots.
2. If your child is proficient enough, have them write
the numeral in one of the hands on the game board. If writing numbers is a
skill that your child hasn't mastered yet, do this step for them.
3. Now your child will place the number of buttons rolled
down the center of the shirt. I like to have them use the same color of buttons
for each number rolled.
4. Now repeat steps 1-3, putting the numeral in the other
hand, and using buttons of the other color.
5. Now say the addition sentence out loud (e.g. "Three
plus four equals what? How many buttons are there all together?"). Write
the answer in the shirt pocket (or have your child do this).
6. Use a dry cloth or paper towel to wipe the dry-erase
marker from the board and start again! Repeat until your child's attention
begins to wane.
Pair a Book with
It
Even though this Pete the Cat book is more about
subtraction than addition, it complemented our activity beautifully. Pete is a
favorite in our house and even reading it over and over again is still
enjoyable.
