[Childcare] Learn Numbers Through Play! Ideas to Use in Early Childhood Education
Some teachers may want to incorporate learning and education into childcare.
Also, it might be good for children to remember simple numbers in preparation for starting school.
However, for kindergarten and nursery school children, play is what matters most.
Many teachers may be wondering how to integrate numbers into childcare.
So this time, we’ll introduce ideas for number games that let children learn numbers while playing.
When play is enjoyable, children naturally absorb all kinds of things, right?
Be sure to incorporate number games and help children learn numbers in a fun way.
- [Childcare] Letter and word games: Introducing fun activities using hiragana
- [Childcare] Wordplay and game ideas everyone can enjoy together
- [For 2 Players] Easy Pen-and-Paper Time-Killing Game
- Games and activities everyone can enjoy together. A collection of fun play ideas.
- [Childcare / Physical Play] Fun Activities to Get Moving
- Ideas for indoor activities and group games that 5-year-olds like
- A collection of simple indoor recreational games
- [Childcare] DIY Ideas for Circuit Play
- Recommended games and activities for five people
- [Childcare] From small to large groups! A collection of fun game ideas
- Useful for childcare! Today’s recommended recreational activities, including fingerplay and games!
- [Childcare] Recommended play ideas for caring for 2-year-olds
- [Childcare] Recommended for toddlers! Toy ideas you can make and play with
[Childcare] Learn numbers through play! Ideas to use in childcare (1–10)
[Fingerplay Song] One Little Ghost
![[Fingerplay Song] One Little Ghost](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/r9c3tnuddZU/sddefault.jpg)
Let me introduce a ghost-themed play song that kids love.
Each time the lyrics repeat, one more ghost joins in, and the parts you sway increase too—hands, feet, and head.
The idea that the ghosts come to scare you once there are five adds a thrilling touch that kids will likely enjoy.
This song also works great for Halloween, so it could be fun to have children dressed as ghosts join one by one while singing and dancing.
Move your body, have fun, and learn the numbers from 1 to 5!
Number Bingo
As the name suggests, “Number Bingo” is a game that combines numbers with bingo.
First, using familiar number references like calendars and clocks, you make numbered pieces with plastic bottle caps.
Next, create a 3×3 bingo sheet and fill each square with numbers you like.
Put the numbered pieces into a bag, draw them like a lottery, and fill in the bingo sheet—that’s the basic flow of the game.
It’s an idea for getting comfortable with numbers through crafting and play.
The key is that it blends various hands-on elements like searching, making, and writing!
number play
Let’s try counting numbers using acorns.
First, play rock-paper-scissors; the winner—or in the case of a tie—puts one acorn at a time onto their own plate.
When all the acorns are gone, count the acorns together one by one.
If you line up the acorns vertically and count them, it’s easier to convey concepts like more, fewer, and equal amounts.
Also, counting in groups of 5 or 10 gives a chance to touch on the idea of units.
Try different ways of counting as you play!
[Childcare] Learn Numbers by Playing! Ideas to Use in Early Childhood Education (11–20)
Number rearrangement game
Let’s play a number-sorting game using playing cards.
The goal is to arrange the cards so that the smallest number is on the left and the largest number is on the right.
There are many kinds of playing cards, but cards with designs children love—like animals or popular characters—are recommended.
It’s even better if the number on the card matches the number of items illustrated.
For example, a card with the number 3 could have three rabbits on it.
Start with 2 or 3 cards at first, and increase the number as you get used to the game.
Numbers/Quantity Matching
This is a matching-quantity game using playing cards and blocks.
Prepare blocks that aren’t too large and can be connected.
It’s best if they are the same or similar shapes.
Once you have the blocks and cards, connect as many blocks as the number on each card.
It’s a game that helps children learn that larger numbers make the block tower taller or larger.
Lay out playing cards from 1 to 10 in a row, and connect and arrange the blocks to match; this will help children sense differences in number size and quantity.
[Hand-Play Song] What Will You Be When You Grow Up
![[Hand-Play Song] What Will You Be When You Grow Up](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/arpqSGXqpP8/sddefault.jpg)
It’s a fingerplay song where you make numbers with your fingers.
In this song, your fingers can become various occupations like a doctor or a barber depending on the shapes, so children can enjoy learning numbers.
You can rearrange which jobs match which numbers, so it could be fun to come up with ideas together with the kids.
Once they can make the numbers 1 to 5 with their fingers, it might also help when someone asks their age.
After they learn to make numbers with their fingers, use their fingers to teach concepts like more and less, as well as counting aloud.
Chopstick Grabbing Game
Introducing a fun game for 4–5-year-olds to help them learn numbers: the “Chopstick Pickup Game.” In this game, children compete to see how many small balls they can carry with chopsticks within a time limit.
At the end, they count the balls, which gives them a chance to engage with numbers.
And if they want to win, they’ll naturally start wondering how many balls their opponent has carried.
Comparing their own and their opponent’s amounts, and thinking about how many more they need to win, helps them develop a sense of more and less in a playful way.