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Make math time happy with these fun counting activities. #1: Create your own abacus. #2: Count and play all day! These activity ideas provide a playful introduction to counting and the many ways that we encounter and use math in everyday life.

Count on It

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Count on It

Image of the toilet paper rolls needed for this activity that makes learning math fun.

Ready

  • A long piece of string, a rope, or a tension rod        
  • Several empty paper towel rolls/toilet paper rolls
  • Scissors
  • Tape
Image of sections of toilet paper rolls on a wooden dowel to construct a DIY abacus and make learning math fun.

Set

  • Create a DIY abacus by cutting paper towel/toilet paper rolls into 10 segments.
  • String the 10 segments onto your piece of rope, string, or rod.
  • Attach either end to something solid (e.g. abacus two chairs or the wall). 
  • You can continuously adjust the number of segments that you use to appropriately challenge and meet your little one where they are.
An image of a real abacus with a child's finger touching it while counting and making learning math fun.

Play!

  • Practice sliding each segment from one side to the other. You may count the sections out loud, or not.
  • Use your “abacus” to visually represent numerical quantities. Some ideas include:

    • How many pancakes do you want?
    • How old are you?
    • We are leaving in five minutes.
    • How many napkins will we need to set the table for dinner?

Play your way! What else can you do with your new abacus?

Why Play This Way?

Raise your hand if you grew up disliking math? (Hopefully not everyone). We believe that when very young children encounter opportunities to experience and learn about math through play, they will recognize that puzzling through mathematical challenges is fun and rewarding. Specifically, we love that this tool can make transition times smoother by providing a visual representation of time.

Better with a Book

At LᐧMᐧNᐧOᐧPlay!, we love to pair our play with a great book.

Image of the book cover, Numbers by Xavier Deneux, to support activities that make learning math fun.

“Numbers”

by Xavier Deneux

Image of the book cover, Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews, to support activities that make learning math fun.

“Ten Black Dots”

by Donald Crews

Counting Play

Extension Activities

Choose your own adventure! Select any of the extension activities or resources below and see where your play takes you next. They all build on the same play theme to extend your learning in even more ways.

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Get to Work!

Splish, Splash I’m not takin’ a bath…I’m just playing with water! These activities are designed to delight your little one with all the sensory fun of water while also delivering the soothing social and emotional benefits inherent in this type of play. Discover ways to play with water in all kinds of places and with unexpected materials.

Test the Water

Make math time happy with these fun counting activities. #1: Create your own abacus. #2: Count and play all day! These activity ideas provide a playful introduction to counting and the many ways that we encounter and use math in everyday life.

Count on It

Roll on into fruit play! Have a blast experiencing fruit in new and hilarious ways that will get you moving and laughing. Get your muscles ready, but be prepared! These activities might make you hungry and ready to quickly transition from playing to eating!

Let the Fruit Times Roll

This game brings all the creative fun of printmaking to the sensory goodness of dough play and then adds a clever twist! You make the prints, and your friend guesses what you used to make them. But watch out…it’s simple to make a mark, but easy to be fooled when you are the guesser. When you’re done with the game, keep playing with The Dough Project’s super, all natural, dough.

Be a Dough-tective

Feeling big emotions is perfectly healthy. However, for young children, this can be scary because they feel and are out of control. This play, inspired by Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall, will give you new ideas for how to be brave even in the face of big challenges.

Bravery Breathing

Play ideas for all those times you need a little gentle, quiet fun. Reach for these activities whenever you are looking for ways to create a soothing environment or bring calm to your mind and body.

(Don’t) Bottle it Up

This activity is pure magic.✨ Children will be filled with wonder as they prepare their special fairy houses and adults will be transported to the joy of being a child again.

Build a Fairy House

You will be naturally drawn to this beautiful illuminated play. As soothing as it is exciting, your little one will be filled with wonder as they explore the many items that you place on your new favorite learning platform. We are so happy that you decided to put a spotlight on this magical play.

Light it Up!

What’s black and white all over? This play activity! Invite your child to explore this amazing play that will inspire curiosity and ignite their inner designer. In experimenting and examining each object independent of its color your little one will engage more deeply with all of the other properties of the play materials they are using. Open-ended and easy to set up this original play is sure to be a winner for children of ALL ages.

What’s Black & White All Over?

keep playing

more fun activities

Whoever said work isn’t fun?! These activities, inspired by Joan Heilbroner’s marvelous book “Robert the Rose Horse”, reinforce the notion that “Play is the work of childhood!” Explore countless opportunities to notice the important jobs and workers around you. Then, discover the ways that even the youngest among us can be workers too!

Get to Work!

Splish, Splash I’m not takin’ a bath…I’m just playing with water! These activities are designed to delight your little one with all the sensory fun of water while also delivering the soothing social and emotional benefits inherent in this type of play. Discover ways to play with water in all kinds of places and with unexpected materials.

Test the Water

Make math time happy with these fun counting activities. #1: Create your own abacus. #2: Count and play all day! These activity ideas provide a playful introduction to counting and the many ways that we encounter and use math in everyday life.

Count on It

Roll on into fruit play! Have a blast experiencing fruit in new and hilarious ways that will get you moving and laughing. Get your muscles ready, but be prepared! These activities might make you hungry and ready to quickly transition from playing to eating!

Let the Fruit Times Roll

This game brings all the creative fun of printmaking to the sensory goodness of dough play and then adds a clever twist! You make the prints, and your friend guesses what you used to make them. But watch out…it’s simple to make a mark, but easy to be fooled when you are the guesser. When you’re done with the game, keep playing with The Dough Project’s super, all natural, dough.

Be a Dough-tective

Feeling big emotions is perfectly healthy. However, for young children, this can be scary because they feel and are out of control. This play, inspired by Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall, will give you new ideas for how to be brave even in the face of big challenges.

Bravery Breathing

Play ideas for all those times you need a little gentle, quiet fun. Reach for these activities whenever you are looking for ways to create a soothing environment or bring calm to your mind and body.

(Don’t) Bottle it Up

This activity is pure magic.✨ Children will be filled with wonder as they prepare their special fairy houses and adults will be transported to the joy of being a child again.

Build a Fairy House

You will be naturally drawn to this beautiful illuminated play. As soothing as it is exciting, your little one will be filled with wonder as they explore the many items that you place on your new favorite learning platform. We are so happy that you decided to put a spotlight on this magical play.

Light it Up!

What’s black and white all over? This play activity! Invite your child to explore this amazing play that will inspire curiosity and ignite their inner designer. In experimenting and examining each object independent of its color your little one will engage more deeply with all of the other properties of the play materials they are using. Open-ended and easy to set up this original play is sure to be a winner for children of ALL ages.

What’s Black & White All Over?

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