Looking for a fun, hands-on way to learn about numbers with your preschoolers? Try adding this fun apple-themed activity to your homeschool lessons or preschool math centre. These apple-themed count and clip cards are great for:
- Learning/reviewing numbers1-10
- Working on fine motor skills
- Working on the critical math skill of one-to-one correspondence.
- Learning the parts of an apple
- Learning number names.
- Concentration
- Hand-eye coordination
Did you know that it can take months for children to begin counting with the critical math skill of one-to-one correspondence?
That’s the reason why I created this activity for our littles! They need all the practice they can get at this age to become competent with this important math skill.
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.
Four tips to consider when working on the skill of one-to-one correspondence with your child.
- Model counting objects lined up on a table/floor so that your child is learning to keep track of the objects they are counting.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 need to recreate this activity:
- Cardboard
- Pumpkin seeds
- Black acrylic paint
- Clothespins
- Green foam boards
- Green dot stickers
- Permanent markers
- Pencil
- Hot glue gun
- Glue sticks
- Stencil knife/ scissors
How to create this activity:
Step 1: Draw an apple onto a piece of cardboard and cut it out to use as a stencil. This way, all ten of your apple counting cards will be identical.
Step 2: Trace ten apples onto your cardboard. I used a white piece of cardboard so that I would not need to paint the apples inside. If you do not have white cardboard, you will need white paint to do the inside of your apples.
Step 3: Use your pencil to draw a line away from the edge of the apples all the way around the inside of each apple to create the apple skin.
Step 4: Use a black permanent marker to outline each apple.
Step 5: Use a red marker to colour each apple section that represents the skin.
Step 6: Use your stencil knife to cut out the apples.
Step 7: Draw the shape of a leaf onto a piece of cardboard to use as a stencil for your leaves.
Step 8: Trace your leaf stencil onto the foam board. I folded the foam board and traced my leaf a few times, and repeated this step until I had ten leaves.
Step 9: Place your pumpkin seeds into a ziplock bag and add your acrylic paint to it. Shake the bag and rub it to ensure all your seeds are coated in the black paint. Spread them out on a piece of cardboard to dry. Try your best to spread them as much as you can because they will stick together.
Step 10: While your seeds are drying, use a black permanent marker to write the number names on the leaves and the numbers onto your dot stickers.
Step 11: Place the dot stickers on the tip of your clothespins and use the glue gun to glue the leaves on top of each clothespin.
Step 12: Pin each completed clothespin onto an apple and then add seeds around the clothespins based on the amount on each leaf. I placed the clothespins on the cards before using the hot glue gun to attach the seeds because I wanted to ensure that my littles had enough space to place each pin.
Now your inexpensive yet durable fun learning activity is ready!
How to use the Apple Counting Clip Cards
You can present your child with this activity in a small tray or basket.
You can place all the pins on the floor and have your little ones identify the numbers and their names with you.
Demonstrate to your child what is expected of them by taking the apple with the number one from your tray, touching the seed, say, “One apple seed.”
Please encourage your child to say it with you.
When you touch each apple seed, you are teaching your little one another important math skill, tagging.
What is tagging?
Tagging is the ability to touch each item in a group and say a number.
What we need to do as educators is provide our little learners with numerous opportunities to count, practising the skill of one-to-one correspondence until they develop into accurate and confident counters, tagging each item in a given group with the correct number in a sequence. We need our children to be able to count the objects in a group and understand that the last number they mention does not name the last object but stands for the entire group of objects they have counted.
Knowing how many there are in a group is referred to as seeing the cardinality of a group of objects. Being able to see the cardinality of a group of objects requires so much practice of the important skill of one-to-one correspondence. Hence my reason for making this simple yet effective learning tool that can be used over and over.
Work with your child to find the clothespin with the number one, touch the number and the name, and say it encouraging your child to say it with you.
You can start from any number with children who are confident in identifying numbers 1-10 and the correct number sequence of numbers from 1-10.
Repeat this until you and your little one have all your clothespins on the corresponding apples.
You can work with your child a few times with this activity, and before long, it will be an activity on your shelf that your child can complete with little or no assistance.
You can then work with your child to line up all the apples in the correct counting sequence.
You can play a game of I Spy numbers 1-10.
You can also use the apple-themed counting clip cards to discuss the parts of an apple with your child.
We do hope you find this 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.
More Activities you will like:
Upper and Lowercase Letters Apple Match
Feed The farmer the Apples Sight Words Activity
Apple Worm Counting for Teaching One-to-one Correspondence
Apple-Themed Play Dough Invitation
0 Comments