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Water Spout Race
What you need:
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Cardboard
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Pen
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Dice
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2 Counters e.g. plastic spider
Prepare this activity by cutting two strips of card. Divide the strips into 10 sections. These are the drainpipes. Take it in turns to roll the dice. Count the spots on the dice then move your spider up the drainpipe that many spaces. The first person to reach the top is the winner. Your child might begin to recognise the number of spots on the dice without counting.
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You can extend the activity by writing the numbers 1 - 10 on the drainpipes. Read the number that you land on to help your child recognise the numerals.
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Skills:
Subitising - this is the process of immediately recognising how many items are in a small group without counting. Playing games with dice is a great way to develop this skill. When a die is rolled, we immediately recognise the pattern on the face as a number, without needing to count the number of dots. Subitising helps young children to develop number sense by helping them to relate numbers to actual items or groups of items. Children learn to count by rote but might not really understand the meaning behind what they are doing. By looking at groups of items, children can start to develop an understanding of how a number is made up.
