numbers and counting
+ morethe songs for seeds numbers section is pure magic! during this activity, kids help their teacher find the missing number...a new one each week. once the missing number is revealed, it gives the teacher the ability to perform a (very silly) magic trick. the trick is followed by a number song that not only reinforces counting and addition, it’s possibly the catchiest song we’ve ever heard.
during the song, colorful scarves are handed out to everyone in class for a massive game of peek-a-boo which not only elicits the cutest smiles, it helps babies and toddlers grasp the concept of object permanence. this is when very young children start to understand that things still exist even when they are out of their sight or grasp...mommy only “disappears” for a moment behind the scarf.
in our babies classes, our body parts song encourages families to help their little ones find their eyes, ears and noses creating a fun, suspenseful game while also reinforcing body and spatial awareness.
you will notice that we count as much as possible in our numbers section because exposure to numbers 1 through 10, as young as six months old, nurtures mathematical thinking.
while it may not seem important to expose your baby to mathematical thinking before they can even speak, the truth is, they are surrounded by numbers all day long.
a basic number sense helps kids follow directions, for example “first we eat dinner, next we take a bath, then we read a book...”it also supports every day activities like counting their age, grasping the order of the day, reading a calendar (“how many days until my birthday?”), moving pieces in a board game, finding patterns in their home, and measuring ingredients when cooking with you.
reinforcing numbers while counting up and down also helps kids gain a basic sense of concepts such as greater than/ less than or big and small. so keep counting...on your hands, their feet...it supports bonding and is fun finger play.
the pure, silly, joy you get out of watching your child turn everything she sees into a magic hat and wand while repeating this section of class at home is made even better knowing that her brain is also making so many mathematical connections. yay numbers!
to learn more about the numbers section, watch the video HERE.