Children can use games to practice counting as early as preschool.
Counting is a basic skill that students may have some grasp of before beginning kindergarten. However, some students will need to work on counting and all will require practice to remain proficient at it. Turning this task into fun games for the class to enjoy will help the students practice counting, and will keep them interested without even realizing they are learning in the classroom.
Buzzer
Buzzer is a game that will help students count in multiples. This is an excellent classroom game for students who are already good at simple counting and are preparing to get into multiplication. The entire classroom participates in the game at once, with the teacher standing at the front of the classroom with chalk in hand.
The teacher randomly selects a student to choose a number between two and nine. Once the teacher hears the number, she writes it on the board and circles it. She instructs the class to listen to her count, beginning with one, and to be the first to "buzz in" whenever she says a multiple of the selected number, according to Scholastic.com.
If the chosen number had been three, then someone would yell "buzz" whenever the teacher says three, six, nine, 12 and so on. Each time a student buzzes on a correct number, the teacher writes the number on the board under the circled number.
Ice Cream Cone
During the ice cream cone counting game, students who are just beginning to count try to identify the number of sprinkles on the ice cream, according to Gayle's Preschool Rainbow.
The teacher prepares the materials for the game ahead of time. Using construction paper, cut out the shapes of ice cream cones (brown triangles), one for each student in the class. Then cut out rounded scoops of ice cream from white construction paper and glue on colored dots to represent different numbers of sprinkles on each scoop. There should be anywhere from two to 12 sprinkles on the scoops. Write the number of sprinkles inconspicuously on the back of each scoop.
Give each child a cone and then ask him or her to write his or her name on the back. Pass out all of the scoops and then instruct the class to count the sprinkles on their ice cream and then write the number on the cone at the top. Tell them they can check their answer on the back of the ice cream. Have them pass the scoops around until everyone has written all the numbers down.
Count Your Chickens
Count Your Chickens is an online game, available free at Learning Planet, that helps young children learn to count objects. Using the classroom or library computers, allow the students to take turns completing the 10-question quiz.
The game asks "how many" and shows a random number of objects ranging from chickens to cows and much more, complete with sound effects. The student uses the mouse to answer and waits for the response. If it is correct he is allowed to move on to the next question. If it is incorrect, a child's voice joins in to help the student count them again and get the right answer.
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