I laugh each time I look at this journal activity – one-to-one correspondence sticker match!

 “Why?” I see so many different species of frogs on the pages! But it doesn’t matter, right? Because as busy moms we are looking for simple and functional!

This week my girls and I are learning about animals in winter and how they prepare to hibernate.

This simple one-to-one correspondence sticker match was a follow up from one of our favourite stories, Over and under the Snow by Kate Messner illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal. In the story, there is an Illustration of fat bullfrogs sleeping underground to avoid the harshness of winter and m girls are drawn to that page.

 This activity was created to reinforce that frogs will bury themselves in mud in order to avoid the harshness of the winter months and most importantly to give them some practice with the important math skill of one-to-one correspondence.

What is One-to-one Correspondence?

One-to-one correspondence is the idea that numbers correspond to specific quantities or the principle that each item in a given set can be counted only once. One-to-one correspondence is a vital beginning Math skill for young children. It can take months for children to begin counting objects with one-to-one correspondence. 

Did you know:

A child that has mastered the skill of one-to-one correspondence is employing synchrony, tagging and a strategy for keeping track of objects that have been counted?

Learning the important skill of one-to-one correspondence is hard work, but the DIY Cardboard One-To-One Correspondence Counting Cards will give my girls the practice they need.

4 tips to consider when working on the skill of one-to-one correspondence with your child.

1. Model counting objects lined up on a table/floor so that your child is learning to keep track of the objects they are counting.
2. As you model, pull each object with your finger so that your child sees how you go about accurately tagging each object in the group that is being counted.
3. Ensure that your child is confident with the number sequence that is needed to count a given group, this way they are able to tag correctly.
4. You can practice learning number sequences by consistently counting objects in your child’s environment. If a child does not know the number sequence when asked “how many?” they will say the last number word they uttered, which might not be correct, instead of knowing the cardinality.

What you will need to recreate this simple one-to-one correspondence sticker match:

• Journal
• Markers/crayons
• Jumbo dot Stickers
• Pom poms

It does not get much simpler than this! I drew my frog kingdom placing red spots on the frogs’ legs for the girls to match with the correct numbers written on jumbo dot stickers.

They were given red pom-poms which they used to count out amounts before identifying the correct frogs one by one and matching stickers.

This activity is also great for:

• Hand-eye coordination 
• Fine motor skills
• Number names
• Concentration 
• Problem-solving 

This activity can also be recreated to teach/review:

• Letters
• Colours 
• Shapes
• Word-studies

I do hope you find this simple low prep activity useful. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us by sending us a message or visiting us @learning.stepbystep on Instagram, Learning Step By Step on Facebook and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for educational resources that will help you and your littles on their learning journey as they continue to Learn Step By Step!

Thank you for being here!

Kimberlee and the Learning Step By Step Team.

Other articles you might find useful:

DIY Montessori Spindle Box Inspired Counting Activity for Toddlers

DIY Cardboard One-to-One Correspondence Counting Cards For Toddlers

Over and Under the Snow Book Review and Sensory Invitation

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