|LEARN|kids graph introduction activity using christmas cards

I thought I’d share with you a simple little learning activity which I’ve been doing with T this Christmas.  As he’ll be starting school in less than 10 months (eeeeeeeek!) we’ve been doing a few more learning activities lately alongside our crafty or creative activities.

This one is to start to introduce the concept of graphs and charting with a little one, without them really having to understand what it is they are doing!

I created a very simple graph with numbers along the Y axis, and along the X axis we added some Christmas stickers to denote the Christmas card type.

Quite simply, each time we receive a Christmas card, T gets to open it and then he adds a sticker next to the relevant sticker on the X axis.  We have a little elf on the end which is where we add all the cards that don’t fit into any of the other categories.

T is loving doing this little activity and I’m hoping it is giving him the starting steps to recognise what a graph is when the time comes.

On the maths learning subject, I’ve noticed that T now knows all his numbers all of a sudden.  Now I’ve been working on these with him for the longest time and he can never remember.  Well it would seem that when he has to identify the correct number on his advent calendar he can manage it, the little monkey!  Sometimes he pretends he doesn’t know things when he really does, does anyone else notice this with their little ones?