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Fine Motor Counting with Cranberries
- Gabrielle Fischer Posted On Nov 24, 2020 | Motor Skills
Making counting hands-on is a sure-fire way to encourage your kids to engage more in their numeracy learning. We teamed up our favorite Learning Resources, fine motor toys, cranberries, water, and basic supplies to work on 1:1 correspondence and addition.
Materials needed:
- Primary Science® Jumbo Tweezers
- Squeezy Tweezers®
- Tri-Grip Tongs
- Cranberries
- Water
- Small bowl
- Dice
- Mini paint palette trays (from Dollar Tree)
The Set-Up
This activity is rapid to set up. Add some water to the small bowl and put in a handful of cranberries. Layout a few mini paint palettes (a muffin tin would also work), along with the dice and the three fine motor tools. If your little one tends to get enthusiastic with water, it might be an idea to put all of the materials on a large tray or even a towel.
How the Activity Works
I did this activity with my daughter, who is 3.5 yrs old. She loves any fine motor activity and has been showing more and more interest in dice games. I asked her to roll the dice and count the dots on the dice out loud. She then was tasked with choosing a fine motor tool to transfer the correct number of cranberries into one of the mini paint palettes. As she added each cranberry, she would count the number out loud. In the end, she also enjoyed counting the total number of cranberries in the tray.
The added sensory element of this activity really helped to engage my preschooler. She spent plenty of time just poking the cranberries under the water and watching them pop back up and float on the water’s surface. Throughout the duration of the activity, she also really enjoyed exploring the different fine motor tools. Her favorite was most definitely the Squeezy Tweezers® because she thought it was so fun how the cranberries could fit perfectly inside the little scooper section. This tool is straightforward to use for toddlers and preschoolers.
The Jumbo Tweezers and Tri-Grip Tongs required a little more patience and focus, but that’s not a bad thing at all. She had to problem solve as the cranberries kept slipping out of the grip of the tools. She maintained her focus, was patient, and transferred the correct number of cranberries with each tool.
Once she had completed three dice rolls, I asked her to complete a little extension challenge. I asked her to add the total number of cranberries together. We counted each mini palette, and then I helped her count the total number, which was great for building her number confidence. If you are doing this activity with older children, you could add two palettes worth of cranberries together each time or even subtraction or multiplication.
This really is a simple activity, but the focus on hands-on numeracy offers so many great developmental learning opportunities. The combination of water and fine motor tools intrigue fun, while using the dice adds a big splash of numbers and counting. Perfect for play-based learning!
Printable Camp Learning Resources Merit Badges
Keep the learning going all summer long with our free activities at Camp Learning Resources and earn your merit badges! Print and color your merit badges as you follow our weekly learning activities!
The Benefits of Coloring:
Coloring is not only a fun activity, but it also has many benefits for children, including:
- Development of fine motor skills: Coloring requires using small muscles in the hands and fingers, helping to develop fine motor skills.
- Improves focus and concentration: Coloring can help children focus and concentrate on a specific task, which can be helpful for their academic performance.
- Reduces stress and anxiety: Coloring can be a calming activity, helping reduce stress and anxiety in children and adults.
Encourage your child to use their favorite colors and get creative with their coloring. You can also use this printable to talk about springtime and narwhals, teaching your child about nature and animals. The Printable Spring Narwhal Coloring Page from Learning Resources is an excellent activity for children of all ages. It promotes the development of fine motor skills, improves focus and concentration, and helps to reduce stress and anxiety. Download the printable today and encourage your child to get creative with their coloring, spending quality time together as a family.
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This activity is a great way to teach kids about shapes, counting, sorting, reasoning, symmetry, and even fractions. Students will use pattern blocks to create the pictures on the mat, which will help them understand and recognize different shapes and combine them to create a complete picture. Additionally, students will need to count the number of pattern blocks required for each image; this will help to improve their counting abilities.
The activity also includes reasoning, symmetry, and fractions. Students must use their problem-solving skills to determine which pattern blocks to use and where to place them to create the desired picture. They will also practice symmetry by matching the pattern blocks to create a symmetrical picture. And finally, with pattern blocks, students can explore fractions and how they relate to the different shapes.
Valentine's Pattern Block Activity is a great way to incorporate math and problem-solving skills into the holiday while keeping the activity fun and festive. These simple Valentine's pattern Block Mats are an awesome math challenge for kids. Just print them out and start building; it's that easy!
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