I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that our current plan for math just hasn’t been working, so I’ve been busy making some activities to encourage counting and recognition of higher numbers. Movement seems to be a big factor with M when it comes to learning something. He’s quick to learn if he can engage his entire body and have fun.
{Not to digress too much, but this is one of the reasons I worry about him being in a traditional school setting. He really needs one on one time and someone with the patience and flexibility to adapt activities to his learning style, which is very much whole-body kinesthetic. I’m not sure anyone loves him enough to provide this for him except his parents, or that it’s even practical to expect a teacher in a traditional setting to be willing to do this for all of his/her students. Of course I assume as he matures he’ll be able to learn in other ways also, but until then I want what is best suited for him as he is.}
I was given these Fisher Price cardboard flash cards when M was a baby (ours are similar to the ones linked to, but an older version). I’m not really into using flashcards for memorization, but these are so cute I kept them, thinking that we’d find some way to use them.
The numbers are 0 to 25 in the set, but we used only 0 to 15 this time. I used a Sharpie to print the numbers 0 to 15 on the inside of bottle lids I’ve had in my “stash” for a long time. (These were peanut butter jar lids for 10 to 15, and Gatorade bottle lids for 0 to 9.)
We lined up the cards, face up, from 0 to 15, with me (and often M) saying the number and pointing to the number on the card. Next, he matched up each lid with the appropriate card.
Then, the real fun began – as we went down the line, beginning at zero, we turned over each card to see that particular number of objects (4 cows, 5 sheep, etc.) and he counted pennies into each lid (except for zero of course!). 
When he got to the higher numbers he placed the pennies directly onto the objects on the card, using one-to-one correspondence to make sure he counted correctly.
He was very proud of himself when he finished, and I was pretty proud too. :)
The total body movement, going down the line as we worked, was what really kept him involved in this. And since 0 to 10 were very easy for him, he felt successful and this encouraged him to go on. Oh, that and the fact that when he got to 13 and wanted to quit, I said he could keep all the pennies for his bank if he finished. ;)
By the way, it takes 55 manipulatives to count from 1 to 10, 120 manipulatives to count from 1 to 15, and 210 manipulatives to count from 1 to 20 with an activity like this. Good to know, right? ;) Beans, beads, cheerios, small rocks, and pennies all make good counters for higher numbers!
Have a beautiful day! :)
