Princess Petals is loving learning about numbers. She goes through the day counting all kinds of things…everything actually and it just makes me smile.

During math today I gave her some number cards. I mixed them up on her workmat (a black sheet of construction paper). I told her I wanted her to put the numbers in order starting with the first number, zero and ending with ten. She hurried me along, excited to put her brain to it without mommy’s help.

She was so excited when she finished her number train, as she called it.  I asked her if she was ready for a different challenge and she jumped up and down yes. This time I gave her a little bowl of small beads and told her to put the correct number of beads to match the number on each card. It was so much fun to observe her eyes widen and her face showing she was thinking hard. This activity took longer than the first because there were more steps involved. Boy did she feel like a super star when she finished and we all celebrated her as such.

“Mommy,” she beamed, “I love counting!”

If you want to try this activity it is very easy and I am sure your little ones will enjoy it.

Number cards. Any kind will do. The cards I used I have had for years and are laminated to keep. You can also make your own number cards out of index cards.

Small objects that will fit on the cards. I used some small beads I had but you can also use paperclips, pennies, anything small that you already have.

A few pointers:

I use this activity as reinforcement, a way for her to practice what she has learned, but in a new way. I suggest only giving your child numbers they can recognize and count up to. For example, I knew Princess Petals could count and recognize numbers from 0-10. I will only add numbers to it after I introduce and teach it to her.

Another thing to note (which is awesome for us parents) is that this activity (which is like a game really) doesn’t get old! She so enjoys doing this over and over again. I use different objects as a way to keep it a little fresh and interesting (she loves counting out dimes and pennies). Also, as she gets older and learns to count different ways (by 2s, 5s, 10s, etc.) she can put  the cards in order that way.

As always,

Stay Encouraged & Be Blessed!