Preschool Counting Games - Number Cruncher and Number Hunt

Teaching preschoolers with games is a perfect match. These preschool counting games require them to be involved physically as well as mentally.

Any time you can engage your preschool kids in an activity is teaching them how to listen to directions, follow sequences, and to work as a team in addition to learning the mental skills you are teaching.

Number Cruncher
In this game, one student is the cruncher and everyone else is a number. Give each child a number to hold and the cruncher must go around and try to tag the numbers, but they must get the numbers in order. For example, the cruncher must get 7 before he can get 8 or 9. When all the students have been “crunched,” you can pick a new cruncher and start from scratch.


Number Hunt
Make a set of number cards, 1-5 or 1-10, depending on your children’s abilities. I like to make the cards resemble a shape, for example I use circles and decorate them to look like cookies and put one number on each card. Hide these cards around the room before they arrive.
To start this, tell them that the number cookies are hidden around the room and that they need to find them. Once they find the numbers, they will need to decide if they have found them all. To do this they will need to put them in order. For older children, they will know how to count to ten but for younger ones you can have the numbers on the board and they can match their “found” numbers to the ones on the board to see if they have found them all.

If you like these preschool counting games, check out the other ideas in the Preschool Planner.

http://www.preschoolplanner.com/thefullstory.html

There are Two Editions now for the Preschool Planner: Basic or Platinum.

If you prefer lessons which have ideas for the Toddler Age, go here to the second volume of lessons. There is an entire bonus section devoted to TODDLERS.

http://www.preschoolwhiz.com/v2.html

Send me any ideas you would like to share and I will post them on my Blog.

Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com

Free Preschool Lesson Plans for September - Letter Memory Game

Hi There,

It's the beginning of the school year and there are so many lessons,
activities, and ideas to prepare. If you're looking for free preschool lesson plans for September try this one that was sent to me just this week.

Melinda realizes that when working with preschoolers it is essential to make learning fun and has come up with this way to teach letters and numbers to her kids at home.


Letter/Number Memory

To help with learning letters or numbers my little ones play letter or number memory. I am not sure if they sell it at any store but I just made my own with construction paper. After cutting out 52 3x3 squares I wrote a letter on each square. So you have 2 of every letter. Now your ready for letter memory. It was easier to not use more then 6 letters at a time. (12 cards total) so the little ones don't get confused. Have fun!


How easy is this to make and your children will enjoy playing their game!


If you have ideas you would like to share, just send them to me here and I will post them for all to use.


Thanks so much,

Mary
marys.plans@gmail.com


P.S. If you would like to receive my free newsletters for ideas for
your preschool class, enter your name and address at the site below:

http://preschoolplanner.com/preschool-activities.html

Preschool Lessons- Word Matching

Hello and Happy September!

With the beginning of the school year, letter and word recognition is a great place to start.

Here is a suggestion that one of my aides created a few years back and it is always well received and holds attention.

It may not be new but it is fun and gives a sense of accomplishment! Everyone needs that positive feeling in their day.

Word Matching

Need:
30 circles of paper (or any shape you wish)
Large Poster Board (large enough to hold 15 of the shapes)

Pick out 15 words(3 or 4 letters long) and print them on 15 shapes.
Glue these shapes to the poster board.
Now print those same words on the other 15 shapes and place them in a tray or envelope.

Have the children match the loose words with the ones that are mounted.
I like to use similar words which may only have one letter difference such as "trip" and "trap" and see if they are matching the whole word or just the beginning sound.


Easier Version: only use individual letters or numbers for younger children and have them match them.



My feeling is the more exposure to letters, words, and even sounds of the letters and words will always enhance pre-reading skills.

Send me any ideas you would like to share and I'll include them in the blog.

Thanks,

Mary

P.S. If you like this idea check out my Preschool Lesson Plans:

http://www.preschoolplanner.com/thefullstory.html

Preschool Lessons - Mud Bricks

I don't know about you but I am SO happy to have the warmer days and LONGER daylight hours! It recharges my "batteries" for sure and I notice that the kids are in the same mode.

Here is an outdoor activity that kids love to do--it involves MUD. What could be more appropriate for springtime?!

Mud Bricks

Kids love mud and you can teach them to make their own bricks that they can use later for other projects. Best of all--all of the materials are FREE; just go outside and they are there in nature!

Need:
Large container(s) to mix the mud
Dirt
Handfuls of grass
Water

Take the dirt, grass and water and stir together in the container until you have a thick clay-like texture.

Next let the children form small rectangle shapes to look like bricks. It is best to keep them small because they dry quicker.

Leave them out in the sun to "bake" or dry. Once they are dry and hard they can use them for other projects. (This can take a day or two.)

Hint: Place these on a tray to dry so that if the weather turns rainy you can easily bring them inside to continue drying.

Until next time, enjoy the spring!

Mary

P.S. Looking for NEW IDEAS for your classes but don't want to spend your free time planning--Check out my preschool lesson plans:

http://www.preschoolplanner.com/thefullstory.html

Preschool Lesson Plans for Spring - Kites

Hello,

Finally! Spring is at the doorstep and time for more sun, more energy and lively

times outside.

We all need to get out and enjoy ourselves.

I have some fun things to do inside and out--just in case the spring rains keep us in

a day or two.

I'll be sharing these with you over the next few days.

We think of KITES when we think of spring--here are some ideas for kite pictures and kite-making.

Pictures

Need: Diamond Shape Template, paper,bowtie pasta, glue, markers or crayons

Have
the children trace the diamond shape on their paper. Some may need help
holding the template still. Let them decorate their kite anyway they
would like. Show them how to draw a line from one of the ends of the
kite to look like the tail.

Next, they glue the bowtie pasta on the tail to decorate the tail of the kite.

You could decorate a wall or bulletin board with their creations.

Simple Flying Kite

Need: Plastic grocery bag, yarn, stapler, tissue paper

Make
this "guaranteed" to fly kite by stapling strips of tissue paper on the
bottom end of the grocery bag (try to be sure there are no holes at the
sealed end of the bag). Next tie yarn onto each handle of the bag. Go
outside and let the kids run with their kites. They don't fly high like
a real kite but they are guaranteed to fill and "fly" as the kids run
with them.

Success rate is guaranteed!

Please let me know how you like these ideas and share any new ones you use. I'll pass them on to everyone.

More spring ideas to come.

Mary