Materials:
Uncooked elbow or other macaroni and 3 small bowls
Try It Out:
- Place 2 empty bowls and the uncooked macaroni in front of your child. Tell her that you are going to have some fun with macaroni.
- Put 1 macaroni piece in 1 bowl and 3 macaroni pieces in the other bowl. Ask your child to point to the bowl that has fewer macaroni pieces.
- If she points to the correct bowl, say, “That’s right! This bowl has fewer.”
- If she points to the wrong bowl, point to the correct bowl and say, “Good try! But this bowl has fewer.”
- Next ask her to point to the bowl that has more macaroni pieces.
- Ask your child to add “1 more” to 1 of the bowls. Now ask her again to find the bowl that has fewer macaroni pieces, and the 1 that has more.
- Put out 2 bowls with 1 piece of macaroni in each and a third bowl with 2 pieces of macaroni.
- Ask your child to find the 2 bowls that are the same. If she does, say, “That’s right. These 2 bowls are the same. These are equal.”
- If she points to the wrong bowls, point out the correct bowls and say, “Oops! These 2 bowls are the same.”
Making the Most of This Activity:
- Try the activity using different objects, such as snacks or food items at mealtime or clothing items during dressing. See if your child can make 2 containers have the same number of objects.
Reflect:
Did your child understand concepts such as more and fewer? If not, focus on just 1 at a time or try again later.
