Materials
wide selection of animals or small toys
sets of cards with ordinal numbersInstructions
* Make cards of the first five ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, and so on).
What to Do
1. Explain ordinal numbers to the children and show them the cards representing
the numbers.
2. Tell the children to choose their five favorite toys in the room.
3. Then give each child a set of ordinal cards and ask him to choose which toy he
likes best and put the "1st" card in front of it.
4. Ask the children to put all five toys in order and label them with the ordinal
cards.
5. Encourage the children to take turns to vocalize their ordinal list: "My favorite
toys are: first, a red fire truck; second, a kangaroo; third, a car jigsaw puzzle;
fourth, stickle bricks; and fifth, a racing car."
Teacher - to - Teacher Tip
* It is best to do this favorite toy activity with only a few children at a time to
prevent arguments when children have similar favorites.
Assessment
To assess the children's learning, consider the following:
* Can the children recite the ordinal numbers correctly?
* Can the children put ordinal numbers into the correct sequence?
* Can the children relate ordinal numbers to concrete objects, such as toys?