Play a Counting Game: Number Hungry Dogs!

Here's a game that'll help your child count from 1 to 6 and explore one-to-one correspondence with objects. She'll also improve her number recognition while she's at it. All you need are dog biscuits, dice, and a timer to help your preschooler understand some fundamental math concepts. This game is best played with at least 4 children. The more the merrier!

What You Need:

• Dog biscuits
• Dice
• Timer

What You Do:

1. Group the children into pairs. Give each child the same number of dog biscuits (start with 10–12). Give each pair a die. Set a timer for several minutes.
2. Tell each pair of children to take turns rolling the die. One child rolls the die and counts the number of dots showing on the top of the die. He then counts out that number of dog biscuits from his pile and gives them to his hungry dog partner.
3. Then the partner takes a turn, following the same procedure.
4. When the timer goes off, the children count the bones they have in their piles. The hungry dog will have most or all of the bones in his pile.
5. Start again with different partners.
6. At the end of the activity, consider asking the following: When a die is rolled, who can match the same number of biscuits shown on the die the fastest? When told a number verbally (without being able to see the number on a die) between one and six, who can can count out the same number of biscuits the fastest? Give the kids more chances to practice, and soon you'll have a set of super doggie counters on your hands!