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🎲 Let’s Count, Play, and Discover!

Published on
May 19, 2025
Ages 0-2
Ages 3-5

🎈 Peek-a-Boo Numbers

🎯 Target Skills

  • Early number recognition
  • Object permanence
  • Visual tracking

🧰 Materials

  • 3–5 number cards (handmade or printed)
  • Small blanket or scarf
  • Stuffed animal or doll
  • Household alternatives: paper squares with numbers, dish towel, favorite toy

👣 Step-by-Step

  1. Write or print numbers 1–5 on cards 🃏
  2. Hide one number card under a scarf 👀
  3. Say, “Where did number one go? Let’s find it!” 🗣️
  4. Lift the scarf together to “find” the number 🎉
  5. Say the number out loud and clap once with your child 👏
  6. Repeat with other numbers—add a toy surprise under some! 🧸
  7. Mix up the order and try to find them in sequence 🔢
  8. End by laying all cards in a line and counting them slowly together 🧮

🤗 Parent/Caregiver Guidance

Use a cheerful, excited voice—think “peek-a-boo” fun! Repeat numbers often and praise any engagement: “Yes! That’s number 2! You found it!” Encourage pointing or grabbing the number when possible.

🧠 Why This Helps

Number exposure during peek-a-boo helps babies link symbols to sounds. Repetition and surprise build attention and early memory connections.

📚 Research Foundation

  • Piaget’s sensorimotor stage—object permanence develops around 8 months
  • Numerical cognition research shows infants recognize small quantities visually (Feigenson et al., 2004)
  • Peek-a-boo-style repetition supports neural pattern recognition (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000)

🧦 Sock Sort & Count

🎯 Target Skills

  • Matching & sorting
  • Hand-eye coordination
  • Early numeracy

🧰 Materials

  • 6–10 clean socks
  • Small laundry basket
  • Marker & sticky notes (numbers)
  • Household alternatives: mittens, washcloths, paper cutouts

👣 Step-by-Step

  1. Place socks in a pile 👕
  2. Write numbers 1–5 on sticky notes and stick inside basket 📄
  3. Ask your child to help “find a sock” 🧦
  4. Match each sock and count out loud: “One sock... two socks!” 🔢
  5. Place matched socks in baskets with number labels 💼
  6. Cheer after each match: “We found 3!” 🎉
  7. Point and touch each pair slowly while counting 🖐️
  8. Repeat as long as interest lasts, then dance with the socks! 💃

🤗 Parent/Caregiver Guidance

Make it playful and silly—use voices or pretend the socks are talking. Offer lots of smiles and light touch to keep it social. Don’t worry about “correct” matching at first!

🧠 Why This Helps

Sorting and matching build early math thinking. Moving while counting links physical action to abstract number ideas, laying groundwork for math fluency later on.

📚 Research Foundation

  • Montessori emphasis on real-life materials and order
  • Hands-on categorization boosts neural development (Ginsburg, 2006)
  • Embodied cognition theory—movement enhances learning (Wilson, 2002)

🔢 Bathtime Number Splash

🎯 Target Skills

  • Language development
  • Numerical awareness
  • Sensory play

🧰 Materials

  • Plastic numbers or foam bath numbers
  • Plastic cups or spoons
  • Bathtub or basin with water
  • Household alternatives: bottle caps with numbers, washable markers, safe plastic lids

👣 Step-by-Step

  1. Fill the tub or basin with warm water 💦
  2. Place number toys or lids in the water 🔢
  3. Scoop one number and say it excitedly: “Look! It’s 3!” 🎉
  4. Pour water over the number to make it extra fun 🚿
  5. Arrange 3 toys next to the number, count out loud 🧸🧸🧸
  6. Repeat with other numbers—don’t rush, follow the child’s rhythm 🐢
  7. Sing a counting song while playing 🎶
  8. End by lining up numbers on the edge of the tub 🛁

🤗 Parent/Caregiver Guidance

Use your voice like a storybook! Be animated, use rhymes and songs. If they splash away the numbers, just laugh—it’s all part of learning through joy.

🧠 Why This Helps

Water play keeps little ones focused longer, making space for gentle number exposure. Repeating simple number words during play builds early math vocabulary.

📚 Research Foundation

  • Repetition and immersion support early math learning (Geary, 2000)
  • Play-based learning improves language and number skills (Berk & Winsler, 1995)
  • Water play promotes attention and exploration (Trawick-Smith, 2014)

🧩 Number Treasure Hunt

🎯 Target Skills

  • Counting & sequencing
  • Problem solving
  • Memory & attention

🧰 Materials

  • Numbers 1–10 on cards
  • Small “treasures” (stickers, raisins, buttons)
  • Paper bags or envelopes
  • Household alternatives: cereal pieces, socks, spoons

👣 Step-by-Step

  1. Hide number cards around the house 🏠
  2. Tell your child: “Let’s find number 1 first!” 🔍
  3. Once they find it, give them a small prize 🎁
  4. Keep going in order from 1 to 10 🧭
  5. Say each number aloud and count up together 🗣️
  6. Clap, sing, or dance after each number! 💃
  7. Mix up the order next time for an extra challenge 🌀
  8. Finish by lining up all 10 numbers in order 🧮

🤗 Parent/Caregiver Guidance

Use a fun voice like you're on an adventure. Celebrate effort, not just success! Try saying: “You found number 4! Amazing memory!”

🧠 Why This Helps

Children remember better when they move and explore. Finding numbers in order builds sequencing skills and makes learning feel like a game.

📚 Research Foundation

  • Vygotsky’s social learning theory—guided play strengthens learning
  • Working memory development supports sequencing (Gathercole & Alloway, 2007)
  • Movement-based learning improves retention (Ratey, 2008)

🦶 Hop & Count

🎯 Target Skills

  • Gross motor coordination
  • Number recognition
  • Following instructions

🧰 Materials

  • Sidewalk chalk or painter’s tape
  • Open space (indoors or outside)
  • Music (optional)
  • Household alternatives: paper plates, masking tape lines, floor tiles

👣 Step-by-Step

  1. Write numbers 1–10 on the floor or pavement 🧱
  2. Call out a number and have your child hop to it 🗣️
  3. Once they land, have them shout the number 🔊
  4. Make it a pattern: “Hop to 1, clap 1 time, then spin!” 💃
  5. Vary the pace—slow motion, fast, tiptoe 🐢🐇
  6. Mix in simple math: “Hop to 2 plus 3!” ➕
  7. Have siblings or friends race to numbers 👫
  8. End with a song or free dance 🥳

🤗 Parent/Caregiver Guidance

Cheer them on! Use playful prompts like: “Hop like a bunny to number 7!” Use physical touch (like high-fives) to reinforce learning and boost confidence.

🧠 Why This Helps

Linking movement with number concepts strengthens memory and builds spatial understanding. Kids learn best when their bodies are involved!

📚 Research Foundation

  • Multiple intelligences theory—kinesthetic learning (Gardner)
  • Physical activity improves executive function (Diamond, 2007)
  • Patterned movement boosts brain connectivity (Jensen, 2005)

📦 Stack by Number

🎯 Target Skills

  • Fine motor skills
  • Number sequencing
  • Problem solving

🧰 Materials

  • Small boxes or cups
  • Sticky notes or tape
  • Marker
  • Household alternatives: food containers, books, LEGO bricks

👣 Step-by-Step

  1. Label boxes or cups 1–10 📦
  2. Place all randomly on the floor 🧩
  3. Challenge your child to find number 1 and stack it 🧱
  4. Keep stacking in order—help if needed 🆙
  5. Say each number aloud together 🔊
  6. If tower falls, laugh and try again! 😄
  7. Once done, knock it down with a silly cheer 🥳
  8. Repeat with reverse order (10 to 1) for variety 🔁

🤗 Parent/Caregiver Guidance

Celebrate effort, not perfection. Ask questions like “What comes next?” or “Where does number 4 go?” Keep it fun and pressure-free!

🧠 Why This Helps

Stacking by number builds sequencing, balance, and early logic. It also helps kids see numbers as steps or parts of a whole—which is the root of math thinking.

📚 Research Foundation

  • Piaget’s preoperational stage—symbolic thinking grows
  • Fine motor tasks support math readiness (Grissmer et al., 2010)
  • Scaffolded problem-solving strengthens cognitive skills (Bruner, 1983)