I look after one little girl who is keen to identify numbers when we are out and about but is not yet able to distinguish letters from numbers. So I thought we would focus first on recognising numbers 1-5, but my problem was, being only 3, she was not at all interested in any formal learning activity and rightly so! However like any 3 year old she loves to be active and loves to be out in the garden exploring. Building on this, I labelled flowerpots with the numbers 1 to 5 and laminated flowers shapes, some with the numbers 1 to 5 on them and some with 1,2,3,4 or 5 stars on them.
Now the idea was that I would hide these around the garden, she would come across them accidentally as she played and with help, she would work out what pot they needed to go in. I was keen for it not to become a formal learning experience and wanted her to initiate the game. I didn't have to worry on this account, she spotted the stack of flowers on the side (before I had had a chance to hide them) and was keen to get started straight away. So I hid them and she found them! Her excitement was clear to see each time she found another.
And so was her concentration as she worked hard to identify what number the flowers represented ....
... and with support located the correct flowerpot.
Once she had found them all (I went a bit over the top and ended up with about 30) she insisted that they all be hidden again! We have had to play everyday that she has attended this week.
Oh course others noticing her excitement were keen to join in and found logs fitted just nicely into the pots.
We also discovered that we could make the pots swing!
Links to EYFS:
PSRN: Numbers as Labels and for Counting - observations of children counting, using number names, matching number and quantity, recognising numbers etc.
0 comments:
Post a Comment