Math and Word Games!

C is big into learning new words every day, and she loves counting! Today, she requested that we do some art and craft, and we came up with a Math and Word Felt Board. Here are the details:

Math and Word Felt Board

There are four components to this felt board:

1. How Many Ducks Are Hiding?

2. Count the Apples on the Tree.

3. Make a Ladybug.

4. Match the Words.

I've made a printable for the words that can be matched to the various items on the board. The printable also includes the ducks, ladybug, tree and apples as a guideline for you to trace onto felt.

1. How Many Ducks Are Hiding?

Here, we started out with 6 ducks, and C counted them all. While C closed her eyes, I placed a green piece of felt over 3 ducks to hide them, and asked C how many ducks were still visible. After she had answered, she had to decide how many ducks were actually hidden. This was a visual way of showing her how subtraction can be done, and she grasped the idea pretty well. We switched around with the number of ducks visible and hidden, and it was a fun way for C to learn math!

Using green felt as grass, I hid a few ducks
and had C count how many were hiding.

Switched the number of ducks hidden.

2. Count the Apples on the Tree.

We started out with 5 apples on the tree, and since they are made of felt, they can be moved around on the board easily. We pretended that some of the apples fell to the ground, and C had to count how many apples were left on the tree, and how many had fallen. Another fun way to do math!

One apple had fallen here.

Counting the apples!

3. Create a Ladybug

C wanted to create a ladybug from felt. So we drew the outline on felt and cut it out, while she helped with the black spots and the googly eyes. We then decided to make the legs using pipecleaners. C remembers that insects have 6 legs, and she counted them as she attached them on.

6 pipecleaners as legs for the ladybug.

C attaching the legs on the ladybug.

From our previous animal classification activity, C remembers that a ladybug is classified as an insect, with 2 antennae, wings and 6 legs. Amazingly, she also recalls that it is an invertebrate! Kids really have an awesome memory! :)

4. Match the Words

You can download the printable, laminate and cut out the words. Attach a small piece of felt behind each word, so your child can read and match the word to the correct part of the board.

Matching the Words!

Meanwhile, here are a few other word games we have played:

Boggle Junior (for ages 3+)

This is a great game for our preschoolers to learn spelling. C had loads of fun playing this, while learning at the same time!

C even had fun stacking the letter dice!

Find the Animal and Unscramble the Words!

Here's a fun activity that is a little like a treasure hunt, but instead of looking for treasure, we are looking for animals! I've made a printable with various animal footprints, and the animal words that can be cut out and scrambled. The game is to hide the animals, and place the matching animal footprints around the house leading to where they can be found. Your child is then asked to unscramble the letters and form the correct animal word.

C found the duck!

Trace the Footprints and Fill in the Blank!

Here's another word activity with animals in it! Your child can trace the footprints and write in the missing letter from the animal word.

There you have it, I hope these ideas will let your child have some fun while learning! Do check back for more next time! :)