Unleash the Fun with Number Monsters: A Creative Way to Teach Number Sense at Home

Discover the Magic of Number Monsters

Looking for a fun and easy way to introduce your toddler to numbers? Look no further than number monsters! This creative craft is not only a fun activity but also a valuable learning tool for building number sense at home. Your little one will love turning numbers into googly-eyed monsters, and you’ll love that it helps them develop important math skills. From counting to pattern recognition, number monsters are a playful way to boost your preschooler’s understanding of numbers—without any stress. Let’s explore how this simple activity can make a big impact on their learning journey!

Materials You’ll Need for Your Number Monsters

You don’t need anything fancy to make this activity work! Just a few simple materials will do the trick. Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

• Number stamps
• White cardstock
• Washable paint
• Googly eyes
• Elmer’s white glue

Steps to Create Your Number Monsters

This activity is simple, but the payoff is big—trust me. Here’s how to bring your number monsters to life:

1. Stamp the Numbers: Begin by stamping numbers 1 through 9 onto the white cardstock. If you don’t have number stamps, you can always write the numbers by hand. Just make sure the numbers are large enough for little hands to work with. Let the stamped numbers dry completely before moving on to the next step.
2. Add the Googly Eyes: Once the numbers are dry, it’s time to add some personality! For each number, add the corresponding number of googly eyes. For example, the number “1” gets one eye, “2” gets two eyes, and so on. This step is where the learning happens as each number starts to come to life as its own quirky monster!
3. Glue the Eyes: Once you’ve attached the googly eyes, use Elmer’s white glue to secure them in place. Be sure to let the glue dry fully before you handle the cards too much.
4. Admire Your Number Monsters!: Now you’ve got a whole crew of adorable (and slightly silly) number monsters! You and your little one can practice counting, compare which number monsters have more or fewer eyes, and even create stories about each one. The possibilities for learning and play are endless.

Why Number Sense Matters

Now that you’ve created your number monsters, let’s dive into why this activity is so important for your toddler’s development. Number sense is the foundation of all future math learning, and it’s crucial for helping your child understand how numbers work in the world around them.

So, what exactly is number sense, and why does it matter? Let’s break it down:

1. Number Sense Helps Preschoolers Recognize and Count Objects

When preschoolers have a solid grasp of number sense, they can easily recognize and count objects. For example, if you’re stacking blocks with your little one, they can count how many blocks are in the tower. Or, when you put apples on a plate, they’ll be able to tell you how many are there. Number sense is the ability to see numbers and understand that they represent quantities, which is one of the first steps in becoming comfortable with math.

How Number Monsters Helps: By associating the numbers 1-9 with monsters, your toddler begins to connect numbers to real-world quantities. When they add googly eyes to each monster, they’re physically counting and making that number come to life, which helps them understand the concept of “one-to-one correspondence” (more on that in a minute!).

2. Number Sense Helps Kids Recognize Patterns

Pattern recognition is a big part of math learning, and it’s easier than you might think. When your preschooler understands number sense, they’ll start to notice patterns in numbers, like realizing that when they add one more block to their tower, the total number of blocks increases by one. These early pattern recognition skills are essential for understanding addition and subtraction later on.

How Number Monsters Helps: As your child adds googly eyes to their number monsters, they start to see patterns in how the numbers increase. It’s a tangible, visual way for them to recognize that the number “2” has one more eye than the number “1,” for example. This small step sets them up for a bigger understanding of how numbers work together.

3. Number Sense Helps Preschoolers Compare Quantities

With a solid understanding of number sense, preschoolers can start comparing quantities. They can easily tell you if one plate has more cookies than another or if their friend has fewer crayons than they do. Number sense helps them build this comparative thinking, which is essential for developing critical math skills.

How Number Monsters Helps: By creating monsters with different numbers of eyes, your little one can visually compare which number monster has more eyes and which one has fewer. It’s an interactive way for them to practice identifying bigger and smaller numbers, which is an early form of comparison that will help them later on.

4. Number Sense Helps with Spatial Relationships

Understanding how numbers relate to space is also an important part of early math learning. When toddlers are able to recognize that organizing toys in a line or a circle changes the way they count them, they are building spatial awareness—another key aspect of number sense.

How Number Monsters Helps: As your toddler arranges their number monsters on the table or a wall, they get a sense of spatial relationships. For example, they might notice that the number “9” monster takes up more space than the number “1” monster, helping them understand how quantity and space are related.

5. Number Sense Helps with Shapes and Their Relation to Numbers

Believe it or not, recognizing basic shapes is another way that number sense shows up in early learning. Your child might notice that a square has four sides or that a triangle has three corners. These observations lay the groundwork for more advanced math concepts like geometry.

How Number Monsters Helps: You can extend the number monsters activity by having your child draw the number monsters in different shapes. Maybe the “4” monster has a square body, or the “3” monster is a triangle. This helps your toddler connect shapes and numbers in a fun, visual way.

How to Make the Most of This Number Monsters Activity

While number monsters are fun on their own, there are plenty of ways you can extend this activity to make the most of it. Here are a few ideas to take it a step further:

• Create a Number Monster Book: Once you’ve made all your number monsters, you can put them together in a booklet or collage to review. This helps reinforce the numbers and their corresponding quantities in a visual format.
• Number Monster Matching Game: Cut out the numbers and match them with a set of cards that show the correct number of items (blocks, apples, or even stickers). This can be a fun matching game to reinforce one-to-one correspondence.
• Use Number Monsters for Everyday Learning: Incorporate number monsters into everyday life. Ask your child to “find the number 3 monster” when they’re playing or looking for something to count, like toys or snacks.

Wrapping It Up: Number Monsters Are More Than Just Fun!

So, there you have it! Number monsters are not just cute and fun—they’re also a powerful tool for helping your toddler build number sense, which is the foundation for all future math learning. With a little creativity and a few simple materials, you can turn your home into a number-learning playground, where counting, pattern recognition, and comparison are all part of the fun.

Now that you’ve got your number monsters ready to go, your toddler will be well on their way to mastering numbers—and you’ll have a fun activity to do together every day! Ready to dive in? Let’s get those number monsters roaring!

White Cardstock

Washable Paint

Use Code “KATELYN10” for 10% Off

Number Stamps

Googly Eyes

Elmer’s White School Glue