Teaching a child to identify numbers can be hard! Personally, I think it is much more difficult than identifying letters. That’s why I constantly try to insert FUN into number recognition! This is a game that I originally created for my Kindergarten classroom and now my toddlers get to have fun playing it! Here is what you will need to get started:
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Materials
Fishing Poles:
- Dowel rods (tip – have them cut at the store!)
- String
- Magnets
- Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
- OR buy pre-made fishing poles!
Fish:
- Colored felt squares
- Magnets
- Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
- Permanent marker
Assembly
1 First, get those dowel rods cut to the appropriate size. I bought mine at Home Depot and asked one of the employees to cut them for me there. They were great about it! I had mine cut in half because I was creating them for Kindergartners. If I were to remake them for my toddlers, I would have them cut in thirds to make them a littler easier to handle.
2 Second, cut the string to your desired length. Again, I made my pieces longer since they were originally for 5 and 6 year olds. They are a bit long for my toddlers, so I would make them around 12 inches now.
3 Next, we put it all together! Wrap the string a few times around the end of the dowel rod and use your hot glue gun to glue it into place. Wrap the other end of the string around the magnet in an X pattern and glue generously. Your fishing pole is assembled!
4 Now for the fish! Using a pen or marker, draw the outline of a fish on a piece of felt. I created a tracer on a manila file folder (teaching trick – it makes tracers much sturdier!) and then used it for all of my fish. Cut them out and give each fish a face and a number using a permanent marker. Finish the fish up by gluing a magnet to the back of each one.
Other Options
***If you are looking to make sure the magnets are super secure and don’t detach overtime, I would recommend adding an additional felt fish to the back of each magnet. So, in essence, you would be sandwiching each magnet between two felt fish, creating a front and a back to each fish. I did not do this, however, if I were to make them again I would most definitely sandwich the magnets!
***I created this activity to focus on number identification. However, there is so much more that you can do with it! Here are a couple possibilities:
- Counting – line the fish up after your little catches them and count them out
- Color recognition – Identify the color of each fish as it is caught
- Number words – If you make a double-sided fish (sandwich the magnet), write the number on one side and the number word on the other for a greater challenge
- Letters or sight words – Again, using a double-sided fish, write a number on one side and a letter or sight word on the other for additional uses
Game Time!
Now that you’ve finished creating the game, enjoy playing it with your littles! Let the enrichment begin! What is your favorite way to work on numbers with your kiddo?
Looking for some more number fun? Check out our Roll and Count Sensory Bin for a quick and engaging learning activity!
