Play Egg Carton Shake!

You could throw away that empty egg carton, or you could use it to make a fun game that will reinforce your child's understanding of numbers and more. This quick and easy game will introduce your child to the numerals one, two, and three, in addition to improving her reaction time and critical thinking skills. She will have such a great time making funny animal noises that she won't even realize how much she's learning!

What You Need:

• Empty 12-compartment egg carton
• Button
• Small pictures of a dog, cat, and bird

What to Do:

1. Write the numerals 1, 2 and 3 three times each in each section of the egg carton. You should now have nine sections of the egg carton written in.
2. Paste a picture of a dog in one of the remaining sections, a cat in another, and a bird in the last.
3. Invite your child to place a button in the egg carton, close the lid, and shake it.
4. Then ask your child to open the lid and see where the button has landed. If it is on a numeral, have the children name the numeral. If it is on one of the animals, have the children make that animal’s sound (the cat meows, the dog barks, and the bird tweets).

Once your child is ready to learn new numerals and number concepts, vary this game by including numbers one through five or more, and different animals that make distinct sounds such as cows, horses, and chicks.