Sweet Pea is 4 years old.
From: I have had trouble finding anything about learning the teen numbers. Many activities seem to be about only the numbers 1-10, so I was excited when I saw this wonderful math idea at Chalk Talk because I knew I’d be able to extend it all the way up to the number 20. (If you have any good suggestions for “teen” number activities, please leave a comment below!)
Material:
- Play-Doh.
- 20 craft sticks. (Younger tots might only need 5 or 10. It is best to only introduce a few new numbers at a time.)
- Fine-tip felt pen.
Procedure:
- Write one number (1 through 20) at the top of each of the craft sticks on both the back and the front.
- Mix the craft sticks into a pile.
- Help your tot build a long Play-doh snake and press it down to the table.
- Tell your tot that you are building a number line. Search through the pile for the craft stick that has the number “1″ on it and stick it upright on the far left side of the Play-Doh snake.
- Suggest that your tot find the number “2″ in the pile and stick it next to the number one.
- Allow your tot to continue placing the craft sticks along the number line.
Observations: Sweet Pea has been struggling to learn her teen numbers so this activity was a bit of a challenge for her.
It was a good challenge though and she stuck with it. I love activities like this one that are so engaging for her and present old material in a new way. She really enjoyed the physical aspect of pushing the craft sticks into the Play-Doh and talked the entire time about how she was making a number “fence”.
After she got all of the numbers lined up, Sweet Pea decided that she wanted to make street signs out of them, and of course I let her. She drew a stop sign and a yield sign on paper, cut them out and glued them to the sticks and then drove a toy car around them.
This was a was a great little activity and we’ll probably do it again. It was quick to prepare and I highly recommended it if your tot is still learning numbers.
Notes from the Trenches: Next time we do this, I am going to make a control sheet that shows all of the numbers in correct order so she can check herself instead of asking me which number should be next.
The first time I only wrote the numbers on one side of the craft stick and it was difficult for Sweet Pea to find the one she wanted.
Rating: 4 Stars * (Fun, Easy, Independent, Frugal)
Carnivals: Linked up to It’s Playtime @ hands on : as we grow.
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Not sure if you still need activities for the teens, but my son learned very quickly with a “go fish” game I made for him. Numbers 11-20, appropriate number of sea creatures on each card. He loves it!
Sweet Pea has mostly learned her teens now, but I love the idea of using “go fish” to teach other things. I’m sure I’ll be able to modify that idea for something else. Thanks!
I was wondering what to do with my sticks. This looks great!
I have a Barbie doll named “Teena” to help with teen numbers. I put a dot of Velcro on each of her hands and on her tummy. 10 is always on her left hand, a numeral 1-9 on her right hand and the teen numeral on her tummy. The kids love her!
this is a fab idea-will def be using it! thank you.
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