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Parent Resources for Learning > Core Skills > Number Games

Number Games

by | Oct 27, 2020 | Core Skills

Try out these number games for learning fun.

Number Hunt:

Challenge your child to find an item or a group of items. For example, ask them to find one teddy, two socks, and three balls. Start with one group of items at a time.

Tip: Too tricky? Start by searching for just one item (one teddy bear, one ball, etc.). Then try pairs (two socks, two shoes, etc.)

Hopscotch:

  1. Use chalk to draw a hopscotch grid on the pavement outside. Then, throw a rock onto one of the numbered squares. Encourage your child to hop through the squares, skipping the square with the stone.
  2. You can make it extra fun by drawing your grid as a series of numbered circles or zig-zag with numbered squares.
  3. If your child isn’t counting yet, place the marker on a square and ask them to hop to it.  Count their hops out loud as they go. When they get there, you can celebrate that they hopped X number of times!

Is it a Number?

  1. Coat a cookie sheet with a thin layer of shaving cream.
  2. Draw a number and a shape with your finger. (Avoid using the number 0 and a circle or oval since they look so similar!).
  3. Ask your child to identify the number by asking: “Which one is a number?”
  4. If your child is below the age of 2, you can start by simply drawing a letter OR a shape and asking, “Is it a number?”  Then, increase the difficulty by putting the number and shapes side by side.
  5. When your child gets the answer correct, they get to mush away the shape and the number and play again!
  6. For extra-messy fun, guide your child’s hand as they draw a shape and a number.

Find a Number

  1. Write the numbers 1 to 10 on ten individual index cards and then write ten letters on ten more (20 index cards total).
  2. Turn the cards upside down, and mix them up.
  3. Ask your child to pick a card, saying, “Let’s see if we can find a number.” If it’s a number, let out a cheer and say, “You found a number!”
  4. If it’s a letter, you can turn the cards over, and your child gets to try again.
  5. If it seems a little advanced for your child, start with four cards (two numbers and two letters) and build up from there.

Skills Spotlight:

Numbers, counting, sensory skills, gross motor skills, memory skills

Author

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Dr. Jody Sherman LeVos
Jody has a Ph.D. in Developmental Science and more than a decade of experience in the children’s media and early learning space.

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