Children learn to count through playing. From a young age you will hear them count, but does not mean they understand their counting. Practicing counting with a number line activity like this one, helps to make counting concrete and thus more understandable.
For this number line activity you need:
- A long cardboard roll
- Popsicle(craft) sticks, green
- Cupcake liners or circle cardboard or craft foam flowers
- Marker
- Craft knife or sharp scissors
Number Line Activity
How to make
- Write the numbers onto the "flowers"
- Glue the "flowers" onto the sticks
- Make holes in the cardboard roll for the sticks to fit(I made the holes 5cm apart)
- Write the numbers under the holes
To Play
Add("plant") the flowers to the correct holes(working on number recognition and visual discrimination skills and fine motor too). Count the flowers, starting at number one, by pointing to each flower. Now your child's brain will make the connection between the verbal and written letter names thus giving them the bigger picture than just rote counting.
Let your older kids practice to count backwards using the number line!
Older kids can do skip counting too, or only plant uneven numbers/even numbers etc.
Extension
Use a bee or butterfly picture/toy and fly onto a flower(say Nr.2). Now the bee flies to one more flower(2+1=?). Then ask your child to count how many flowers the bee must fly past to get to Nr. 5, for example. (2 + ? = 5) These are just simple, but playful math excercises you can do with this number line setup. I bet your child will love it!
More counting activities your kids might enjoy:
- Sunflower Seed Counting Activity
- Outdoor Counting Game
- Number Train Puzzle (printable)
- Star Wars Counting Light Saber Activity
- Fingerprint Counting Activity
- Simple Counting Activity
- FREE Pom Pom Counting Cards
- Skip Counting Lacing Plates
- FREE Safari Counting to 30
- Apple Seed Counting Activity
- 2000+ page of free math worksheets
Nadia is South African mom to two littlies, a former preschool teacher and currently working as a reading therapist at a remedial school. She blogs over at Teach Me Mommy about easy and playful activities inspiring you to be your child's first teacher. Follow along on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.
