We love this inexpensive and effective math manipulatives to help your child learn their colours, numbers, patterns and shapes using only coloured craft sticks and velcro dots found at the dollar store. Great ideas for toddlers, preschoolers and school aged kids.
These are great manipulatives to keep in the craft bin for toddlers, preschoolers and even school age children to help understand math concepts in a fun and interactive way!
Materials:
coloured craft sticks (large are great for little hands and small for older children)
velcro dots or strips (dots are a lot faster and easier)
Directions:
1. Attached velcro dots to both sides of your popsicle sticks on each side. Remember to alternate the loop and hook sides of the velcro.
2. Work with your child to have fun learning through this fun activity, in so many ways!
- Join them together in a line using patterns; red, blue, green, red, blue, green. Can you preschooler make their own pattern? Can they follow yours and decide what comes next?
- Create 2-D shapes; can your child name the shapes that YOU make? Can they make a square, triangle, or rectangle? Can your older child make a rhombus, octagon or pentagon? Why can't they make a circle?
- Can your child count the sticks? How many sticks did we use to make the square?
- Can you put your sticks in groups of 5 or 10?
- Early addition or subtraction; Take 3 sticks and join them together. How many would we have if we added or subtracted 3?
- Challenge your older children to make letters from the sticks.
