Numbers, numbers, numbers

This is not a stand-alone activity, but one that should be mixed in with other activities.

Budding mathematicians begin to show their propensity for logic and numbers from about age 5 and up.  Their brains are sparked by challenges that involve numbers. Adding those kinds of challenges into our regular Primary activities awakens interest.

Ask how many times a word is repeated.

Ask a number question casually in the course of the regular activity … if there are 3 camels and they drink 45 gallons of water, how much water will they drink, if Nephi got 5 boards from one tree to build the boat, how many trees would he need to make 75 boards?

Ask your math interested children to count how many times they hear the song as you do the pattern or figure out the visual challenge.

Benefits:

Because each of us take in information in different ways, we need to be sensitive to those children who think in numbers.  It enlivens the learning process for them.

Beforehand preparation:

Obtain enough egg shakers (or shakers of another kind) for the children. Make a rhythm pattern of shaking and tapping to use with shakers as the song is sung.

Activity:

Model the rhythm pattern with the shaker.  Ask the children to pretend to hold a shaker and do the pattern as you sing the song. Pass out the egg shakers and do the pattern as you sing the song.

Extender:

Ask the children to turn towards the back wall and do the pattern again as you sing.

Combine the egg shaker with an unsharpened pencil to tap against the egg shaker.  Shake, shake, tap, tap, tap or in 3, shake, shake, shake, tap, tap, tap.

Change the egg shaker to a different hand and do the pattern

Benefit:

Movement to the beat is a powerful way to help the brain organize itself.  Every child gets to actively participate in learning the song by moving to the pattern as the song is sung, helping them to better sense the beat of the song.