Come on, spring! I’m ready for a St. Patty’s Day Outdoor Activity.
I know, get it. Indoor activities have been fun, but now let’s, please head outside. This St. Patty’s Day outdoor activity is the ticket out!
I am craving sun, fun, and movement!
A few shamrocks later, we have an epic math counting activity!
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Can your preschooler count to ten?
Probably so, right?
You are in a good place!
Now let’s run with seeing these numbers, recognizable groups.
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Here’s why counting activities are important for kids
Did you know that by Kindergarten, children using the Common Core will be asked to
- Solve addition and subtraction word problems, and add and subtract within 10, e.g., using objects or drawings to represent the problem.
- Decompose numbers less than or equal to 10 into pairs in more than one way.
Allow your preschooler to take the time to break apart numbers 1-10.
Allow your preschooler to automatically identify “This is a group of ___________”.
There is no need to rush counting to 100. We have plenty of time for that!
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St. Patty’s Day Outdoor Activity – with a math twist
Since it is St. Patty’s Day season, I found these great shamrocks, and they are great for spring.
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- Shamrocks – They are actually cupcake toppers!
Let’s set up this St. Patty’s Day outdoor activity!
Create pairs.
Mark the number on one shamrock, and match it with the dots’ amount on the other shamrock.
We love using baskets. My preschooler enjoys holding each handle as he “hunts.”
Place your shamrocks into the ground.
My preschooler is not quite a four-year-old, so I placed the number shamrocks close together to keep him interested. I believe older children would enjoy a hunt on a larger scale.
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Allow your preschooler to find the number matches in the St. Patty’s Day outdoor activity.
When your preschooler is no longer interested, guess what?
No problem! Children will slowly gain more and more endurance with thinking and learning with practice.
PRO TIP: Keep the St. Patty’s Day outdoor activity somewhere you can revisit another time.
Maria says
This is such a cute and creative idea. We are actually working on number recognition with both of my girls so I’ll be remembering this one!
Beth & Co. says
That’s great, Maria! Feel free to tag us @dayswithgrey if you try it and post!
Bobbi says
I love this idea!! You’re right we have practiced counting to 10 but not actual number recognition. It’s definitely something that is important and that I’ll be trying with my 3 year old!
Beth & Co. says
That’s great, Bobbi! Feel free to tag us if you try it and post!
Amy Scott says
I love this! I’m very keen to teach the baby all that I can from home before school. In Ireland we’re at school by 4, while I think it’s early it’s commonplace so it’s hard for me to grasp my child starting later. Poor baby isn’t even born and I’m planning the activities haha
Beth & Co. says
Love that! Thank goodness for Pinterest, right?
Gloryanna says
I have been doing something sort of similar but with animals! My guy is still too young for the numbers, though we practice anyways!, but he’s really into animals right now so watching him do some memory/matching has been fun! And great idea for the holiday 🙂
Jessica Bradshaw says
I LOVE This!! THANK YOU for working with your kiddo before kindergarten! It makes such a huge difference. Number recognition and not just being able to count is such a great skill to master before starting Kinder, and I love this game idea.