One More for the Birds

Activity 28

Materials:

Paper plates to use as “bird nests”; child-safe washable markers or crayons, or stickers, or stamps and ink pad

Try It Out:

1. Place the paper plate “bird nests” in front of your child. Tell her that you are going to feed the birds. Use a marker or crayon to make one star or other small mark on each “bird nest.” Or place a sticker or stamp on each paper plate. Say, “This is food for the birds.”
2. Point to one of the paper plate nests and say, “This bird is still hungry. Can you give this bird one more?” Help your child make a mark or stamp one more piece of “food” on the bird nest.
   • If your child adds one more, say, “Look, you gave this bird one more.”
   • If your child has difficulty, show her how to add one more. Say, “I gave the bird one more. Now, it’s your turn.” Then give her a chance to try again.

Making the Most of this Activity:

1. At mealtime, ask your child if she would like one more piece of broccoli. At bath time, ask her if she would like to splash one more time before getting out. At bedtime, ask her to blow one more kiss before you turn off the light.
2. If your child has learned how to add one more, try asking her to add two more.

Reflect:

Was your child able to show understanding of the concept of one more? If not, she may not be ready for this activity yet. Focus on games that help her learn about quantities of one and two, and try this activity again later.