There are a few different versions of counting balances out there, but I picked up this balance toy for around $10 on an Amazon lightning sale. If you haven’t tried one of these with your preschooler, it’s worth the investment!
This little balance is an awesome visual with 3 levels of complexity to challenge with your little learner as they grow. When I picked this up my daughter was working on the first level. Pick a card – place the number on one side and count that many frogs to place on the other side (the card has a visual of both to support). As your preschooler becomes more comfortable with numbers though, he/she can than you this scale to explore addition. While your little one is learning to count and add, this scale simultaneously teaches measurement and how to use a balance. However, if you ask my daughter, the very best part about this learning toy is the little FROGS. 😉
Little learners today, leaders tomorrow… happy creating!
Want to try this activity out? Just pick up the materials below and have fun!
Are You a New York State Pre-K Teacher?
This lesson aligns with the Next Gen Standards:
- Counting and Cardinality: Count to tell the number of objects
PK:CC.3: Understand the relationship between numbers and quantities to 10; connect counting to cardinality - Operations & Algebraic Thinking
PK.OA.1: Explore addition and subtraction by using objects, fingers, and responding to real world situations - Measurement & Data: Describe and compare measurement attributes
PK.MD.1: Identify measurement attributes of objects, such as length or weight, and describe them using appropriate vocabulary
MATERIALS:
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