Shamrock Math Race

This time of year, we are stuck indoors a lot.  With cold weather outside, we need active gross motor games for the kids.  When learning is mixed in, it is just a bonus for this mom!  We made this Shamrock Math Racing Game one cold afternoon, and now we can’t stop playing!

We started with a package of glittery shamrocks that we had picked up one day at the Dollar Store.  I added a large foam dice and our game was ready.  This is an easy set-up for a fun active learning game.

To play Shamrock Math Race:

First I hid six shamrocks around our living room.  I instructed the kids to roll the dice and count the numbers on the dice.  They then had to race to find that number of shamrocks that were hidden.

 

Counting the dots on the dice was a Kindergarten activity that we’ve done a lot of. Counting the number of dots on the dice is a good activity for one-to-one correspondence.  The kids loved remembering the number of dots as they raced around the room and counted that number of shamrocks.

We had shamrocks hidden all over!  After one child would find the correct number of shamrocks, they could hide them for the next child.  It was fun because sometimes the second “finder” found the ones that the other had not and then when it came back to the first “finder’s” turn, she could easily snatch up the shamrocks that she had hidden!

My kids keep asking to do this activity again.  I’m happy to get them active with learning and active play!

 

Colleen writes at Sugar Aunts, a blog by three sisters who share all things creative in motherhood.  They love playful learning, creative kid’s crafts, sensory and fine motor activities, kid’s party themes, DIY, and so much more.  Between the three Aunts, there are 8 cousins who are around each other so often, they are more like siblings than cousins! You can see the action at www.sugaraunts.com.  Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and Instagram.