Math Practice with Counting Bears

We love our counting bears.  We've been using them since the kids were only two years old.  Back then, we simply sorted them into the cups for math "practice".  Now, my son just turned five and will be in Kindergarten next year and my daughter will be in first grade so we have changed how we play with them, but they are still a favorite.  

Pre-Kindergarten Math Practice Last night, we all played with the bears together and here is what we did.  For my son, we kept things pretty basic.  His job was to count the number of bears we had for each color and then write the number.  As you can see, he tended to turn the numbers backwards, which is very common for his age.  When he turned them backward, I had him practice a few extra ones of that particular number.  At the end, he even added the colors together:


Kindergarten Math Practice For my daughter, who is already in Kindergarten, we got a little more advanced.  Her school doesn't give them homework yet, so she welcomed this fun little game with our favorite bears.  I gave her a worksheet to complete, but she also had a pile of bears, and if she needed to, she could use the bears to help her complete her worksheet and figure out the problems.




They both had a great time, and these bears were one of the best purchases I ever made! (Please note I have no affiliation with this company and wasn't paid for this post, I just really do like them!)

For more ideas on activities to do with your kids, please check out my book!  Here is one of the reviews on Amazon:
"This book seriously saved my sanity. I've read a bunch of parenting books but this is literally the only one that actually gave me real and specific advice and ideas for things to do with my daughter. I'm a stay-at-home mom to a 2-year old and I was at my wits end trying to come up with ideas of fun, easy, creative things to do with her that will keep her busy and occupied and help her learn. I wasn't very good at following through on ideas that I heard about from friends or read in other books or online because they seemed too complicated (aka: messy!) but this book broke it down and made it so simple. I highly recommend it!" 

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ABC Activity Using Dot Makers

We give you dozens of other ideas on how to keep your kids busy, but in a productive way, so they are actually learning while they are also having fun!  Here is what one of my readers wrote on Amazon after she read our book: This book seriously saved my sanity. I've read a bunch of parenting books but this is literally the only one that actually gave me real and specific advice and ideas for things to do with my daughter. I'm a stay-at-home mom to a 2-year old and I was at my wits end trying to come up with ideas of fun, easy, creative things to do with her that will keep her busy and occupied and help her learn. I wasn't very good at following through on ideas that I heard about from friends or read in other books or online because they seemed too complicated (aka: messy!) but this book broke it down and made it so simple. I highly recommend it!   
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20+ Ways to Make Caterpillars With Your Little Ones

I've been a Mom now for four years and sometimes the things I don't know amazes me.  For example, I only found out about squeezable applesauce about six months ago.  Little portable applesauce packages that don't need to be refrigerated!?!?  I don't know where I was living for the first 3.5 years of Munchkin Girls' life, but clearly I missed out.

A similar thing happened not too long ago when someone mentioned the author Eric Carle.  Now clearly, as a Mom and a blogger, I should know this person.  Everyone is always talking about him.  Yet I didn't and as usual I felt worried that I was depriving my kids of an important and education opportunity that would likely stunt them for life.  Harvard was clearly out of the question if I didn't do something fast (Don't worry.  If you're new to my site, you will realize that I'm mostly being sarcastic).  Still, I rushed out to Barnes and Noble that day and bought The Very Hungry Caterpillar. 

I proudly presented it to my kids and started reading in my most animated voice.  Now I'm going to admit something that will make most Mom bloggers cringe....My kids really weren't interested.  Their eyes glazed over and they wandered off for something more fun to do.  I'm not sure what that means.  I was pretty surprised because most days we read at least 10 books.  They usually adore book.  They just don't seem to like Eric Carle books.  They seem really smart in other ways, but they will never be appraising fine art, because from what I have heard, Eric Carle is truly the fine art of kids books.

To be honest, ever since we introduced the magnifying glass, my kids are much more interested in this book.  Why?  Because it came with 10 little fake bugs that they carry around the house to scare people.  And they also like to look for bugs and caterpillars outside.


Still they do really love to make caterpillar crafts so the other day we got out some beads and pipe cleaners.  First, I strung one bead around the end and secured it for Munchkin Girl:



Then she spent thirty happy minutes stringing the pipe cleaner with the beads





In the end, she really loved her little caterpillars almost as much as her outdoor caterpillar friends.  I felt like it was time well-spent because she worked on her hand strength as she laced the beads, which will help her later when it is time to learn to write.  Not only that, after we spent this quality time together, she wandered off for an hour and played happily with her dolls.  I have found that after we do a project, she feels fulfilled and it really allows her to open up her imagination and feel secure enough to play alone, giving me some much-needed time to pay bills, do laundry or whatever I need to do.  To find more simple ways to keep your kids buys in productive ways, check out my new book, The Happy Mommy Handbook: The Ultimate How-to Guide on Keeping Your Toddlers and Preschoolers Busy, Out of Trouble and Motivated to Learn.