FREE Fall Harmony at Home Activity!
Counting Fun with Scarecrows
Young children love to count. They count everything from the number of goldfish crackers on a plate to how many steps take them to the playground.
Counting not only allows children to determine “how many,” it helps them make sense of the surrounding world. When a child learns number names and says them in the proper order—1, 2, 3…—they are practicing rote counting. At first, they’ll probably confuse the number sequence, but with time and practice they list numbers accurately.
Children then begin to assign the correct number name to each object as they count in succession. This one-to-one correspondence allows a child to answer the question: How many total objects are there? While rote counting is memorizing number names in sequence, one-to-one counting develops an understanding of each number’s value.
To help your child progress from rote counting to one-to-one counting, regularly offer intriguing hands-on activities—ask them to place one piece of cheese on top of one cracker; one matchbox car on top of a magnetic tile; one ball inside one bucket; five beads atop the number five; move a game piece along a game board according to the number rolled on one die; or better yet…try our FREE Scarecrow Counting Activity below!
The arrival of autumn in all its fiery glory coincides with an annual scarecrow contest in a town neighboring Harmony. Families and organizations create scarecrows aligning with a chosen theme, affix them to lampposts across the town, and children of all ages delight in choosing their favorites. Inspired by this community enthusiasm celebrating the spirit of fall, we designed the following scarecrow counting activity to engage your little one…
SCARECROW COUNTING ACTIVITY
MATERIALS
scarecrow counting cards (download below)
number dot cards (download below)
wooden tray or baking sheet
small black buttons, gems, or pony beads
dice (optional)
SET-UP
1. Set the activity on a wooden tray or baking sheet to help define your child's space, add beauty, and further draw your child into the world of counting.
2. Place the buttons or beads in a small bowl.
3. Arrange the scarecrow cards side-by-side in numerical order or two rows of five (1 to 5, 6 to 10).
PLAY
Invite your child to match the black dots on each card with your black button/bead “crows” in the field. Encourage your child to say each number while placing the “crows” on the dots.
EXTENDED PLAY OPTIONS
Place the cards into a paper lunch bag. Ask your child to shake up the bag, reach in, pull out one card, count the dots on the card, find the matching scarecrow, and place that number of buttons/beads on the dots.
Add a pair of dice to the game! Place the dice in a plastic container, shake, roll, count the dots on the dice, find the matching scarecrow, and place that number of “crows” on the dots.
Did you enjoy this activity?
At Harmony’s Teachers Pay Teachers shop you can try all available Harmony At Home activities—seasonally themed and classroom-tested to be engaging, fun, and effective in developing your child’s academic, intellectual, and creative play skills. Your preschooler will use math, language arts, literacy, science, art, and fine & gross motor play to explore the wonderful world of fall!
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We’d love to see any Harmony-inspired moments you capture along your child’s early years journey. Tag us (@HarmonyNLC) on Facebook and Instagram, and use the hashtags #HarmonyNaturalLearningCenter #TheHarmonyApproach #HarmonyNLC
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