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Topic “Individual”
Contains activities for individuals (one on one).
Uses coins to 10p
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Coins
Pretend money in 1p coins Objects to buy from a shop Piggy bank, which you can open easily. Soft toys | 1. Start by making sure the child can count 10 coins accurately. Ask the child to post 5/6/ etc coins into a piggy bank. 2. Can the child choose one of your hands hidden behind your back with some coins in and count them correctly? 3. Can the child tell you to post coins? Will the child notice if you do it wrong? 4. Play games with giving soft toys pocket money e.g. teddy gets 3p and dolly gets 7p. 5. Play shopping games. Label objects and take turns to 'buy' from the shop. Children may want to play with items bought. This will help motivate them for the activity. 6. Take turns to be the shopkeeper and count the correct money has been given. | Have fun! This is an activity that can be done in small groups Allow children time to count and manage the coins. |
| Pictures of coins Draw pictures of 1p coins on a sheet of paper |
Match quantities up to 8
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Pens in pots 2 Plastic pots Up to 16 pens/coloured pencils | 1. Put out 2 pots one in front of yourself and one in front of the child 2. Get child's attention and slowly count 3 pens into your pot. Say 'Your turn' to the child and, if necessary, help the child put 3 pens in his/her pot. 3. Reward with praise and/or a sticker. 4. Repeat the activity with different numbers of pens working up to 8 at the end. | Keep the activity snappy and fun. Have your equipment ready in advance so that the child does not loose interest. |
| Lego towers Pile of Lego bricks | Keep the activity snappy and fun. Have your equipment ready in advance so that the child does not loose interest. | |
| Peg board patterns Peg board and pegs | Keep the activity snappy and fun. Have your equipment ready in advance so that the child does not loose interest. | |
| Drawing simple shapes. Paper and pens | Keep the activity snappy and fun. Have your equipment ready in advance so that the child does not loose interest. | |
| Generalise the skill throughout the school day | Keep the activity snappy and fun. Have your equipment ready in advance so that the child does not loose interest. |
First last next
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Understanding "first" Lego bricks Miniature plastic animals and play mobile people. Two part story sequence pictures Home made drawings | Play games in a small group lining up at the door or the window. Point out who is first. Change the order and ask 'Who is first now?' At dinner time comment on what the child takes first. Say 'Look.......first you are eating..........' Build Lego towers. Take a pile of Lego bricks and say 'What colour do you want first?' Build a tower yourself and comment on your first colour. Follow the same routine when choosing pens to do a colouring in picture. Make a line of plastic animals or Playmobil People. Make sure they all point in the same direction and say 'Look.......... cat is first.' Can the child make a line and answer if you ask 'Who is first?' Look at the time table for the school day and comment on what comes first. Use 2 part sequencing stories and comment on what picture comes first. Ask the child to make a story and ask 'What is the first picture?' Draw pictures of stick men walking in one direction -can the child draw a circle round the first man etc. | Use objects to explain this concept and then move onto work with paper stories etc. Extend the concept into everyday life as much as possible. Repeat and repeat examples of first and last in the environment. |
| Understanding "last" | ||
| Understanding "next" | Make sure you are teaching this concept with physical things before you teach 'next' for a list of activities. Use a visual template to help a child order these concepts when you start to use these concepts to label class activities. Otherwise the concepts can seem very abstract and the child might get muddled. |
Add or take away one from a number of objects
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Add one to any given number between 1 and 10 - to understand that adding one means 'more' 2 small containers Sets of bricks, compare bears, pens, lego etc Number lines 1 - 10 that you can write on. | 1. Count say 4 items into a container and 4 into a similar container. Line them up, build them into towers , let the child discover that these are the same amount. 2. Tell the child "Put one more here." Go through the counting and comparing routine again and label the group with the extra item as "Look........one more here...this makes 5" etc. 3. Use two number lines. Match the number of items in each container with its position on the number lines. Say 'Look......here are 4 and here are 4.....they are the same. They are both 4." Tell the child "Add one more to this container". 4. Compare the two containers with the two number lines. Say "Look............this is 4" and mark 4 on the number line, and "Look .......this is 5" and mark 5 on the other number line. Compare the number lines , point out that one number line has "more" than the other. 5. Go through this process with different numbers. You want the child to be able to associate the real objects with the more abstract concept of a number on the number line. 6. Extend the concept to everyday life e.g. does the child want one more spoon of yoghurt?, or one more colouring pen in his/her bag? | You need to make the learning very visible. Start working with objects and move onto working with worksheets when the child is performing well with objects. Allow the child to explore materials and give time to respond to questions. Give lots of opportunity for repetition Work in short bursts and give many small rewards throughout the learning time. One aim is to help the child understand that real objects can be represented abstractly with numbers. |
| To take away one from numbers between 1 - 10 - to understand that taking away one means 'less.' Materials as above | ||
| From a given number find the number before Miniature people Groups of cars or trains Books with pictures of lines of people or cars or trains e.g Richard Scarry's transport books. Stickers Blu Tack Home made coloured dots (red and blue) | ||
| From a given number find the number after Miniature people Groups of cars or trains Books with pictures of lines of people or cars or trains e.g Richard Scarry's transport books. Stickers Blu Tack Home made coloured dots (red and blue). |
Understand and use one more
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Tea party 3 soft toys plastic tea set plastic food two bowls and fruit to cut into fruit salad | Have a tea party. Hand out the food. Point out which ones have more. Ask the child to give a piece of plastic food to one of the toys so that it has one more - say that it has got "one more". Make fruit salad. Use two bowls. Cut up fruit for the two bowls and ask 'One more piece of banana here? Can the child tell you what to add to each bowl using 'one more'? | Avoid working on "one more" and "one less" together until the child has mastered both of these. When both are mastered, you can mix both concepts in this activity, for example asking "one less banana here?" |
| Number line | Avoid working on "one more" and "one less" together until the child has mastered both of these. |
Understand and use one less
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Tea party 3 soft toys Plastic tea set Plastic food Two bowls and fruit to cut into fruit salad | Have a tea party. Hand out the food. Point out which ones have less. Ask the child to take away a piece of plastic food from one of the toys so that it has one less - say that it has got "one less". Make fruit salad. Use two bowls. Cut up fruit for the two bowls and ask 'One less banana here? 'Can the child tell you what to take out of each bowl using 'one less'. | Avoid working on "one more" and "one less" together until the child has mastered both of these. When both are mastered, you can mix both concepts in this activity, for example asking "one more banana here?" |
| Number line Number line | Avoid working on "one more" and "one less" together until the child has mastered both of these. |
Counts up to 5 objects
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Activities from TAP sheet: "MN P6 counts to 3.doc" "Counts to 3" activities sheet on www.commtap.org. Materials as described on this sheet. | Use materials and activities described in this activities sheet. Extend the activities to go up to the number 5. | See the guidelines given on the sheet. |
Plays games using dice
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Basic board games with simple dice Larger home-made die with the following on the sides:
Simple board games (probably best to be home made so they can be simple and adapted to meet your needs e.g. reinforce the colours being taught etc). | 1. Take it in turn to roll a die. 2. Count the spots on the side that faces up. 3. Repeat the number a few times - 'ok, you go 3. Number 3; let's count 3 places...' 4. Move the counter forward 3 places, counting each square. 5. Roll again etc. | Repetition Count each spot/square by touching it with your finger Extension activity: each square could be one of 3 colours. When you land on a red square you choose a card from the red pile... so vocabulary or sight words etc. could be targeted too. |
| Counting actions Action Cards - clapping, jumping, nodding, stand up; Simple die (as above). |
Aware of unequal sets
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giving out Books/pencils/cups etc to class mates. Pile of items the teacher wants handed round to the class | Give the child a pile of books to hand out. Does the child notice if there is one too many or one too few? Set it up so that there is one too many/few and comment. Say 'Look......too many/too few books/pens' etc. | Commenting on 'unequal sets' is a very everyday activity. Children experience 'unequal sets' when there are too few chairs in the class room, too many children for the number of cakes at dinner. Comment on these experiences. Keep the activity concrete - work with objects at this stage. | |||||
| Completing a form board Form boards | |||||||
| Car parking Paper with parking slots drawn on e.g.:
Various cars | |||||||
| Snack time party Real party with small food items and a group of children. Cups with straws Pretend party with dolls and teddies and a tea set. | |||||||
| Lego models Building simple models |
Does actions in familiar number rhymes
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Number action rhymes | Follow the instructions on the number action rhymes sheet. |
Counts to 3
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Matching 1, 2, 3, objects to pictures representing 1, 2, 3, objects Large laminated cards with the number 1 and one black square and the number 2 and 2 black squares etc (large number cards - Word document); Sets of objects e.g. pens, cars, bricks; Tidy up bag/box. |
| Give lots and lots of chances to practice this skill. Use the number cards until the child is able to count to 3 most of the time to ensure feelings of success. Give a model if the child struggles and reward attempts as well as success with praise. |
| Fun games Marble run or garage and car run or magnetic fishing game; 1, 2, 3, cards. |
| |
| Drawings of faces Colouring pens; Paper. | See if the child can tell you how many things to draw. You could give them a choice, for example, should I draw 1, 2 or 3 spots? | |
| Monster faces Colouring pens; Paper. | ||
| Stickers Soft toys. | ||
| Count things in the everyday environment |
Use the terms one and lots
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Sorting objects Lego Pencils and coloured pencils Plastic cups Symbol to represent 'one' and 'lots' You can obtain symbols through the Commtap Symboliser. | Collect lego pieces that are all the same size and colour - add one lego piece that is different. Sort the lego into bowls and use the symbols of 'one' and 'lots' to label the bowls. Ask the child to give you 'one' or 'lots' and give as much help as needed to ensure success. Reward the child for completing the activity even if you have given lots of help. Do the same sorting activity with lots of pencils adding one coloured pencil Do the same with plastic cups adding one that is different | Understanding that things can be categorized and labelled in many ways. Extend this skill to everyday life - categorize knives and forks, shoes and boots etc |
| Snack time Symbols for 'one' and 'lots' on plates. Snack items You can obtain symbols through the Commtap Symboliser. | ||
| Cars, marbles, toys Garage with a car ramp and a number of cars Marble run game with lots of marbles Bag of toys with lots of toys in and bag with only one toy in. | ||
| Feeding soft toys Soft toys and pictures of food. | ||
| Pictures Computer printouts or hand made drawings of groups of lots of teddies/boxes/flowers etc and single teddy/box/flower. Symbols of 'one' and 'lots' You can obtain symbols through the Commtap Symboliser. |
Match two equal sets
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Making matching Lego towers Lego bricks | Make a tower of 3 bricks and another identical one of 2 bricks. Hand the child the third brick needed for the smaller tower and help the child complete the tower. Say 'Look...the same' and point to the 2 towers. Compare the towers and count the bricks. Increase the height of the towers and the number of the bricks the child has to add to make the towers the same. Make your tower and then say 'Look......make the same'. Give lots of praise for making a tower the same. | Allow the child to explore the materials you are using before you start the activity' . You want the child to get the idea of things being the same. Extend the idea into everyday life e.g. match cups at snack time or knives and forks at dinner time. |
| Peg board patterns Pegs and a peg board | Make a peg pattern e.g. red peg, blue peg, red peg. Start the pattern off for the child. Say 'Look.........Make the same'. You may need to hand the child the pegs to complete the pattern to start with. When the child makes the same pattern praise and say 'Look.......the same' Allow the child to complete more and more of a pattern that you have made as they become familiar with the activity. Praise for completion. | |
| Matching using coloured counters/coloured care bears etc Care bears Counters | ||
| Line of coloured dots on a piece of paper Colours and paper. | ||
| Paper and colours | ||
| Establishing one to one correspondence Large laminated numbers 1/2/3 on card Small laminated numbers 1/2/3 on card Pieces of food/crisps/biscuits (or other motivating items) Marbles and marble run game Cars and garage ramp | Understanding that '1' is always '1' and '2' always '2' etc is quite abstract and a big step for a child. This skill needs lots of practise and encouragement. Give yourself enough time. |
Indicate one or two using fingers
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Sing shortened versions of well known number songs A number of quickly drawn speckled frogs Blue-tack | 1. Sing 2 Green Speckled Frogs. Use lots of animation 2. Stick one/two green speckled frog pictures on your finger/s to illustrate the song 3. Can the child copy your actions with speckled frogs on his/her finger/s 4. If the child does not want frogs on her/his fingers stick them to the desk in front of the child and point to or touch the frogs right number of frogs as you sing 5. Do this activity with a friend who will be a good role model for the child. | Make this a fun activity Keep the pace snappy Use simple language (2/3 words only at one time.) Give children time to process information and requests. Where possible work in a quiet place, and make sure the child is attending to you. Work for short periods only but repeat often. |
| Adapted song of 10 little monkeys Miniature figures of people or animals | ||
| Snack time Fruit pieces | ||
| Stickers on fingers Two quick drawings of hands Small stickers |
Show an interest in number rhymes songs or games
| Activity/strategy name and materials required | How to do the activity | Key principles for doing the activity and comments |
|---|---|---|
| Three Little Speckled Frogs Recording of the song; (for example on youtube) Water spray; Picture of a log and a pond with Velcro attached to the log and three bits of Velcro in the pond; Three Velcro frogs | 1. Give the child one frog at a time to place on the log. 2. You count the frogs. 3. Start playing the recording and do the actions to the rhyme. 4. Let the child move the frogs from the log into the pond at the correct part of the song and reward with a spray from the water spray. | You may need to stop the recording if the child needs prompting to move the frogs from the log into the pond. Note, you should not expect the child to be able to count at this level. They may be able to join in with some of the sound patterns. The main goal of these activities is for the child to show interest in these rhymes in some way - this could be imitating some of the sounds or actions, or it could simply be being attentive to the song. |
| If you're happy and you know it Recording of the song; Visual prompt card (grid 2x3 on A4 with prompts for clap, stamp, nod, say "Ha ha" and do all 4). | 1. Play the recording and/or sing the song. 2. Encourage the child to do the actions with a physical prompt, verbal prompt, in imitation or spontaneously as necessary. | It is best to go through all the actions at the beginning of the activity and review at the end of the song. |
| Garden Song Chair; Large thick cardboard covered in glittery paper; Water spray; Talcum powder. Optional: symbols for more/finished. You can find symbols in the Commtap Symboliser for PowerPoint. | Encourage the child to stay seated throughout the rhyme. The wind/water/snow are quite rewarding so children will usually sit back down if requested to do so. Encourage children to join in the rhyme or sign wind/rain/snow as they become familiar with the rhyme. | |
| Watching and then joining in with number rhymes Objects to represent number rhymes | Use lots of animation and have fun You want the child to watch you, begin to join in and show some pleasure in the songs. You want the child to show some anticipation - build pauses into your routines for this to happen. | |
| Child chooses a number rhyme from a choice of two pictures of rhymes Pictures for familiar rhymes | ||
| Five little men in a flying saucer Laminated picture of a flying saucer and five men. Attach Velcro to the flying saucer and each of the five men. | Note, you should not expect the child to be able to count at this level. They may be able to join in with some of the sound patterns. The main goal of these activities is for the child to show interest in these rhymes in some way - this could be imitating some of the sounds or actions, or it could simply be being attentive to the song. |
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