Like most three year olds, my daughter loves to engage in imaginative play any chance she gets. One of her favorite activities is helping clean the house alongside me with her spray bottle. I thought; why not turn her love for spraying into a fun number recognition game outside? And on the plus side, now my floors would stay dry for a little while!
In addition to the excitement of getting to spray water, this activity really promotes fine motor skills as children are actively gripping and pushing the sprayer. To do this activity, you will need some sidewalk chalk and a spray bottle full of water. Spray bottles can be found on your local grocery store cleaning aisle or dollar store. Or you can repurpose an old cleaning spray bottle.
Listen and Spray Counting Game
Getting Started
To begin this activity, first decide what number set you want to practice. I chose to focus on the numbers 0-10. While randomly writing each digit on the sidewalk, this would be an excellent opportunity to do a quick review by identifying each number.
Playing the Counting Game
Now the fun can begin! Have your child listen carefully to how many times you clap your hands. This will help build auditory discrimination and processing. Once the correct number is identified, spray the corresponding number in chalk that many times. For example, if you clapped three times, the number three would be sprayed three times.
This game can be played with a sibling or friend as well. We had a neighbor friend join in and they played until we almost ran out of driveway space!
For an added challenge, you may choose to write the number word in chalk and continue to clap, listen, and spray.
Hands-on Play with ABCs and 123s
If you’re looking for more hands-on ways to practice the alphabet and beginning math skills with kids, check out our co-authored book ABCs and 123s. Inside you’ll find over 40 kid-tested learning activities that teach beginning literacy and math in a playful way.
Learn more about ABCs and 123s
More Outdoor Learning Games with Sidewalk Chalk
Water Balloon Splash Name Game
Leslie Ralph
This is great, Kayla! I’m always looking for ways to involve my kids’ minds AND bodies! We’ll definitely be trying it out, but maybe once we get below the 110’s here in Tucson 🙂