Subitizing
Subitizing is the concept of looking at a set of items and automatically knowing how many there are without counting.
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Mmm, Subitizing With Cookies!
We’re back with more subitizing fun! We’ve teamed up with Pre-K Teacher Carolyn Steveson to create this fun freebie that helps preschoolers work on subitizing — the concept of being able to determine the number of items in a set without counting. You can find the link to download your own copy of Cookie Jar Subitizing at the bottom of the page.
This is a fantastic activity for small groups or one-on-one play.
Ahead of time, print out the cookie jar image and one or more copies of the cookies. Laminate, cut out the cookies and provide one die for each child.
Each of the 30 cookies is marked with between 1-6 chocolate chips. To play, a child rolls a die, determines the number, then selects a cookie with the same number of chips.
Each of the cookies’ chips are arranged differently than traditional dot arrangements found on dice. This activity helps children work on set identification without having to count each dot.
Let us know your thoughts!
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Snail Subitizing Math Game
Subitizing, the mouthful of a term for “being able to look at a set and know the amount without counting it,” is one of those cringey teacher words that makes parents’ eyes glaze over, you know? But it’s a critical math skill that we teach in Pre-K, as ugly as the word is itself. And one of our absolute favorite free subitizing games is Snail Subitizing from Life Matters Foundation.
Snail Subitizing is colorful and super cute, and requires few items to play. We laminate the game page and provide dice and either bingo chips or a dry-erase marker and eraser. This activity rocks because once shown how to do it, kiddos can progress through the board at their own speed.
Most importantly, however, is that the snails don’t always display the typical dot pattern represented on a standard die. We LOVE that it makes our kiddos think beyond the standard dot configurations they’ve come to know. It makes them think about how different combinations still make up the same number, and it reinforces knowledge of the concept thoroughly.
