A fun and sparkly way to learn through play and practice counting numbers 1-20 in a hands on way using crystal chips or gemstones.
We are all about learning in a fun and playful way! I am always on the look out for ways to help my children learn in a hands on way, that includes their interests too.
Miss 6 really likes crystals at the moment and has a little collection now, of both crystals and crystal chips. We use them in all kinds of play, from playdough, to sensory play, colour sorting and counting.
I made up some crystal themed counting cards for numbers 1-20 to help practice some counting and number recognition to 20.
* IMPORTANT - PLEASE NOTE - these ideas are suggestions for children ages 3+ as small parts are a choking hazard. Crystal chips are recommended for ages 5+. Always follow the age recommendations on the packet when your purchase. All play was supervised. Please always closely supervise your children when playing with crystal chips.
Ways these could be used:
Set them up as an invitation with some crystal chips and let your child decided how to use them.
Give your child numbers 1-5, 1-10 or 11-20 depending on what they are working on and help them to count the crystal chips to match the number on the card.
Match number discs to the crystal counting cards. Count the number of crystals on the card and add the matching number.
Number ordering - put the cards in order from smallest to largest, or largest to smallest.
Counting practice - just put out the cards for the numbers your child is working on.
I would recommend having only some of the cards out at the one time, instead of all of them, as your child is less likely to become overwhelmed.
Addition - put out two crystal number cards and add them together, using crystal chips or some other type of manipulative (e.g. buttons, sequins, rhinestones etc.)
Subtraction - put out two crystal number cards and take away the smaller number from the bigger number.
Write the number on the back of the cards with a pencil so that they become self-checking and your child can turn over to see if they counted correctly.
Set this up in the classroom as an invitation to count with a range of materials to play with/count or as a provocation about numbers.
How to make the cards:
Download the pdf file and open in Adobe or similar.
Print the pages you need (start from page 3). We used cardboard to make them stronger than paper. You could laminate these if they will be used lots.
Cut out the crystal cards and number circles if you need them.
Set them up with crystal chips or other loose parts to invite your child to learn in a hands on and fun way!
Crystal Counting Cards
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Thank you for reading this blog post! I hope you found some inspiration and enjoy using these crystal counting cards with your child/ren for some playful learning. I would love to know if you do use them - let me know in the comments below or over on Instagram!
Until next time, have fun learning in a playful way!
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