Today we're delighted to have Kylie from Octavia and Vicky sharing a simple, fun activity for toddlers and preschoolers with a focus on numbers and counting. For older children you could extend to include learning about colours, patterns, addition, making to 10 and so on. I hope you enjoy this activity and be sure to go and see the rest of the fun available on Octavia and Vicky. Debs :)
Hello! I'm Kylie, a mother to two year old 'Pebble', wife and early childhood educator who loves playing, cooking and using as many geek-tech tools as possible along the way. My blog, Octavia and Vicky, is named after a story I wrote when I was five years old. It is about a spider named Octavia and her young friend, Vicky. Thank you to Debs for inviting me to share an activity on her wonderful blog today. I have chosen to share a game inspired by the talented Nicole and her Planning with Kids blog. She really is a clever mum, make sure you go and check out her ideas too.
Duplo Game for Toddlers
You will need:
- duplo blocks (use as many or as few as you like – we used 25)- home made dice with dots representing numbers 1 – 3 To make a home made dice you can either wrap a cube shaped box in paper or print and make a cube using a cube net printable, like we did. Then use dot stickers to represent the numbers, or simply draw dots onto your dice.
How to Play:
- scatter the blocks on the floor - take turns to roll the dice, count the number of dots rolled, then collect the same number of blocks to create a tower. Each player adds to the tower with each turn. - whoever has the tallest tower when all the blocks have been used is the winner.
Learning!
During this game toddlers are learning how to - take turns - count up to three - compare size.Go with the flow….
Pebble and I had great fun playing one round of this game really successfully. On the second round she became very preoccupied with using up only one colour of blocks. She had to have the red blocks, and no one else was allowed the red blocks! Then when all the red blocks were gone she announced that she was finished, and that she wanted to put a flower on top. Of course! Toddlers have limited attention spans, so don’t expect their attention to be focussed on this one game for too long. Give it a go, and if it works, great! If your toddler would rather sort the colours, make a garden or build a house, then join in and have fun. Toddlers learn best when they are directing their own play, so my advice is to go with the flow.
Want more fun from Octavia and Vicky? Why not try these fun, easy and popular ideas: