“Teacher's Mistake- 30 to 1”
KNPIG ID #Nb 1109.4
What's this activity about?
This activity is great for quick math practice with sequencing numbers from thirty to one. You can do this anywhere because there are no materials needed! You say a set of numbers backward in the range of thirty to one and leave one number out. Your child has to guess what number you missed. Then your child can have a turn being the teacher and see if you can figure out what number they left out. This is a great opportunity to fit some fun math practice in anytime.
What materials do we need?
No materials are needed.
How do we play?
Start counting backward a sequence of numbers starting anywhere between 30 and one, but leave a number out (ex. 22, 21, 19, 18, 17). Have your child find your mistake. Give your child a point when they can identify the omitted number. Switch places and see if they can fool you!
Where’s the Math?
This activity has a lot do with what your child is learning in school. Your child is learning about number order and how to count forward and backwards from any given number instead of having to begin at one. This is an important step when beginning to work with addition and subtraction with combinations of one and two digit numbers.
Things to Think About:
When working with children remember to BE PATIENT. It may be hard not to help when they are struggling but learning how to problem solve on their own is an important developmental step. Just like learning the alphabet before learning to read, learning numbers and number order should come before more difficult math. Remember, making mistakes is all part of the learning process. The most important thing is to make this fun!
If your child is struggling, try practice counting forward and backward together before going back to finding the missing number. Then try counting forward and backward together from different numbers between one and thirty. Start at sixteen and go backward or twenty and go forward. Continue to practice this until your child becomes more comfortable with the order. You can encourage your child to close their eyes and picture the numbers in their head. They may even use their fingers or a number line if they are a more tactile learner. In no time, this activity will become a piece of cake.
*If you have fun with this activity, try it counting forward also!*
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