Of all the math skills that children will acquire, counting is one that most children will already be doing before they reach school-age.

Rote counting (or saying numbers in a sequence from memory) is what most children will be able to do, but this does not mean that they can actually determine the amount in a collection.

In order to help our students develop an actual understanding of numbers and how counting relates to real life, we did a hands-on activity with beads and dirt bike illustrations aimed at developing their one-to-one correspondence.

By placing a certain amount of beads on a pipe cleaner (counting as they did so), participants were able to make a connection between the spoken numeral and a concrete amount.

Small world play is a style of imaginative play which uses toys or props.

It encourages children to use these small props and their imaginations to create detailed and playful worlds. By doing so, they can have fun expressing their knowledge of the world around them in a creative way. Small world play can also inspire meaningful learning.

They can create scenarios based on what they have learned in a way that is meaningful for them. For this activity, students created a three types of landscapes using both natural and artificial materials.

These materials consisted of a real cactus, sand, and other vegetation. They then were given toy creatures with which they engaged in this small world alongside their friends!