Send your child on a number hunt! In this simple activity, she'll search for numbers hidden throughout the house (or classroom!) Scavenger hunts spell big fun for young kids, but in the midst of all the excitement, kids learn to recognize number names, recognize numbers by sight, and develop ordering and grouping skills.
What You Need:
- Cards, books, or pictures that show numbers or number names big enough to be easily recognized by children. (If you don't have any handy, you can draw numbers on brightly colored handmade number cards made of construction paper.)
What to Do:
- Before your child enters, place numbers and number names for the numbers 1-10, all around the room. Try to mix hiding places that are somewhat obvious (by placing a few numbers on tables, or in plain sight) and those that are more tricky (such as inside a bookcase or underneath a cushion).
- Explain to your child that she is going on a “scavenger hunt” to find a series of number names and numbers from 1-10. She can hunt by herself, or with a friend as a team.
- Provide a place where your child can line up her stash of numbers and number names, and place them in order.
- Keep things light, but pay attention as she hunts and sets up her findings. Can she recognize numbers and number names by sight? Can she line up the numbers in chronological order from 1–10?
Children love to beat the clock, and this game is fun to do within a time limit, too! If your kid isn't quite ready to tackle all the numbers from 1-10, consider creating a "Number One Day" or a "Number Three Day" and focusing just on that number. Then work up to more variety once she's gotten her feet wet.
This is a great game for a rainy day, but you can take it outside, too. Don't be afraid to get in on the action by shouting "hot" or "cold" as kids look for numbers hidden in tricky places.
By Donna Alice Patton
Adapted with permission from "Learn Every Day About Numbers." Copyright 2009 by Kathy Charner (Editor). Used by Permission of Gryphon House, Inc., Maryland. All Rights Reserved.
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