Presentation
Recommended Age: 4 years and onwards (can be younger depending on the child’s skills and experiences).
Purpose: To learn the names and the sequence of numbers from 1-10.
Level of Parent Involvement: Medium, the adult must present the activity for the first time, once the child has been shown they may revisit the exercise independently.
Prerequisites
- The child must be able to order the rods from longest to shortest
Materials
- The number rods (see resource pack)
- A rectangular placemat (optional but preferable)
- Print number_rods_printout-1
Preparation
- None
At Home Presentation
Steps
- Invite the child, letting them know that you will be showing them the number rods
- Bring the number rods from the resource pack to the table, let the child know they will need a placemat, the child may bring the placemat
- Take each rod and place on the placemat, the child may help (towards the bottom of the placemat)
- Invite the child to place the rods in order from longest to shortest at the top of the placemat, ensuring the red ends are aligned on the left side
- When the rods are in order isolate the rod of one from the rest, saying to the child, “this is one”
- Invite the child to count
- Isolate the rod of two from the rest, saying to the child “this is two”, using your index finger to touch each coloured segment from left to right “one, two”
- Invite the child to count
- Isolate the rod of three from the rest, saying to the child “this is three” using your index finger to touch each coloured segment from left to right “one, two, three”
- Invite the child to count
- Do a 3-period lesson with rods 1-3 (see video)
- Depending on child’s ability repeat 3 period lessons for the remaining rods
- You may mix rods and invite child to arrange and count the rods individually or help child if necessary to pack up
Variations
- Bring me: get the child to bring you each rod individually by saying “can you bring me the rod of 5?” the child then has to go to the rods, determine which one is 5 and bring it to you
- What’s this: point to a rod and ask the child “what’s this?”
