This activity will help children todevelop fine motor control by
working on hand-eye coordination and will increase their speed
and confidence when forming numbers and letters.
Pour one quarter to one half a
cup of sand onto two separate paper plates.
One plate is for your child and one is for you to
demonstrate.
Allow the time to play with the
sand before you give them instructions.
Free play lets them explore the materials and get
the excitement and natural play instinct out of their system prior
to instructions.
Have your child draw in the sand
Ask your child to draw straight lines. Show
your child the number 1 flash card. Tell your child that
they have just written the number one. "Yeah".
Have your child write
other numbers that have meaning to them.
Ask your child to write their age, sibling's
age, best friend's age, their birthday number, your house number. Children
make connections to the world when they are working with real
situations.
To mix up the lesson
use chocolate pudding mix instead of sand to write the numbers. Think
of it like finger painting. (and, yes, you may lick your fingers
but be
sure every one washes their hands first!)
Custom Search
The above activity was created by Diane Massie, a HelpingWithMath.com
contributor. It is part of her Handling Math program.
First hand experiences brings mastery of a skill and concept.
