I love being able to find ways to sneak in learning when the kids aren't looking...here's a Back to School Care Package that isn't just about scissors and glue (although I love those, too!) While they are sharpening their pencils for their first day, bring out some of these goodies to sharpen their math skills before the big day...
For each of my children, I filled a small basket with dice, cards, jacks, mini measuring tapes, hand sanitizer, and chenille "worms" for measuring or to use as bookmarks. It is amazing how such simple things can spark so much fun and (shhhhh...) learning. There are so many interesting dice out there. My kids are fascinated by the different shapes and sizes!
This little treasure trove of dice can be used to add, subtract, multiply, find place values, graph, and more. Have 2 people each roll a die, and see who can add the numbers together the fastest. They will pick up their math facts faster than you can pick up all these dice!
A deck of cards can be used the same way. Number recognition all the way to multiplication- pick the level for your child and let the games begin!
Be sure to serve a little Back to School Trail Mix snack to keep them going!
The beginning of school also often means a few extra coughs and colds along the way. I added a mini bottle of hand sanitizer and put Smarties on each side of the bottle with a note saying, "Be a Smartie...wash your hands~" They can all use a little reminder.
Measuring is always fun with your very own tiny measuring tape- or you can measure with a fuzzy worm (I wish inch worm were an accurate name but that might throw them off- they are so literal when young!) Fuzzy Worm also makes a great Book Worm.
You know, playing Jacks can be quite difficult. There is a lot of coordination going on to be able to bounce the ball, grab a jack, and then catch the ball. It is great for building hand-eye coordination and confidence when they scoop one and catch the ball! Tricky, yes, but give it a spin...after all, discovering how they can spin is the greatest part of all!
HAVE FUN LEARNING!
The dice can be found at school supply stores~
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