Jun 28

Jun 28 Fish in the Pond: Simple Counting Activity for Toddlers & Preschoolers

Fish in the Pond Simple Counting Activity for Toddlers and Preschoolers 3 - Oh Hey Let's Play www.ohheyletsplay.com.jpg.png

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Materials:
- blank drawing journal
- crayons
- goldfish crackers

When kids are little,
that is the time to be
COUNTING. EVERYTHING.

The more they hear counting, the quicker they will learn to count. Just like learning the words to a song: Twinkle, Twinkle, or the ABC’s, they can learn and memorize things so quickly when they’re little. I used to always tell my kindergarten parents to just be counting all the things, all the time. Count when you’re driving in the car, count things you see in a book, count while you’re walking around the block. You can count objects, yes, but you can also just count out loud for fun- it may seem boring and monotonous to us but kids love it.

Want to know how to make them love it even more? USE FOOD.

For this activity, we are counting goldfish crackers because it’s what we had and because I had the idea to make little counting ponds. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Draw fish, put numbers on them, and use any type of food in the shape of a circle (cheerios, M&Ms, etc.) to make bubbles. Use the same circular food to make buttons on a shirt (or a snowman if its winter), or draw cookies with a number on them and have kiddos add the correct number of chocolate chips. Get creative and have fun with it!

Fish in the Pond Simple Counting Activity for Toddlers and Preschoolers 4 - Oh Hey Let's Play www.ohheyletsplay.com.jpg.png

But how do you avoid them just eating the food?

You don’t. :) Let them eat it! Or use it as an incentive if they can be patient enough ;) - for each time they count the correct number, they get to eat the snack/treat. That’s all part of the fun!

If you have little ones who respond well to playing with food, The Cheerios Playbook is one of our favorite books that I like to recommend and you could totally use it for counting, too!