Counting Caps

Activities: 

All activities are aligned with VA approved standards and can be used with students in grades Pre-K through High School. 

• Math Strands Addressed:

  • Number/Number Sense

  • Computation/Estimation

  • Measurement/Geometry

• Read one of the books and use the included communication boards to get your students talking.  Remember to vary how you read the book.  Be sure the ask all question types (what, where, who, when, why, how).  Some questions for “Caps for Sale” are included as an example.  Make sure your nonverbal students have the vocabulary access they need to answer all of these questions.

• Read, read, read! Use the book to guide other lessons, such as science, math, etc.  Use all of the games/activities in this kit to extend the book to last the month. Find additional suggestions for a STEM, STEAM, or STREAM inspired activity.

• Cookie Sheet Activities

  • • Use the magnetic arrow and the magnetic bingo pieces for selecting the bingo piece called.  After a bingo piece is called, store it on the other side of the cookie sheet until the game is over. 

• • • Use the magnetic cut-out people and the variety of hats to choose what hat to have them wear; to stack the hats; etc.

• Assistive Technology/AAC devices:

• • • Use the Go Talk 9+ with your students.  Overlays for the three books are included. The fourth overlay is a generic one that can be used with those or the other books.  It contains core vocabulary.  Core words are frequently used words that can be used in lots of situations.

    • Use the Talking Point to let a student say the repeated line in the story.  The orange Talking Point included in the kit has already been programmed with “Caps. Caps for Sale.”  Not only will your nonverbal students be able to participate like everyone else, but this is a great auditory processing/receptive language skill. Students will have to listen and respond at the right time.

    • The Anybook Reader Reader has been programmed for use with the book, “Whose Hat Is This?”  The Anybook Reader can help a student work on fine motor skills such as grasping and pointing with a tool while reading/listening.  Put a colored square behind the Anybook Reader’s activation dot to make it stand out from the page (especially on a white page).            

• Fine Motor Activities:

  • • Have students make play dough pieces to mark the bingo card.

    • Use Dry erase markers to mark the laminated bingo cards. This can help students working on holding a writing tool and making marks. Wiping off the laminated card, works on grasping skills.

    • The AnyBook Reader is shaped like a large pen.  Use it to practice holding a pen, while touching the dot

Suggested Additional Resources you can borrow from the T-TAC ODU Library  

• • • The books can be recorded onto a SparkUp Reader (material #200887). The SparkUp Reader can help a student read/listen by themselves and work on fine motor skills, such as turning pages.

    • You can use an Alt Turn It Spinner from Ablenet, Inc.(material # 303) to allow students who use switches to call the card during the bingo game.

Web Resources: 

• Caps for Sale Printables

• Twelve hats for Lena video

For more suggestions on how to read aloud to others review the suggestions given at

• 10 Tips for Reading Aloud

• Reading Tip Sheets for Parents

VDOE Resources: 

• Virginia's Early Learning & Development Standards ELDS 

• Introductory and Implementation Guidance Webinar on ELDS