Number & Color Scavenger Hunt

Activity Overview

Early literacy and numeracy are interwoven. While being exposed to new early numeracy concepts, children are also engaging in important early reading work by decoding new symbols. Helping children understand that marks on paper carry meaning is a building block of literacy. In this activity, students will practice decoding numerals using Number Dot Cards. They will reinforce these early decoding skills by using the space around them to find real-world representations of assigned quantities. Additionally, this activity gives students the opportunity to practice sorting and categorizing using real-world examples.

What You Need

• Numbers by John J. Reiss

• The Big Numbers Song

• Number Dot Cards from Number Dot Cards activity

• Color Cards printed and cut into individual cards or cards cut out of various colors of construction paper

• A large table or floor to spread out cards

• Optional: Shape Mats from Shape Mats activity or drawn, cut-out shapes

• Optional: Number Cards 11-20 or drawn, cut-out number cards

Steps

1. Read the book Numbers by John J. Reiss.

2. Lay all the Number Dot Cards and Color Cards face down on the table or floor. Guide your student to choose one number card and one color card and flip them over. Ask your student to identify the number and color.

3. Tell your student to go on a scavenger hunt and find the quantity of objects in the color indicated. Bring the objects back to the area where the cards are. For example, if the student flipped over number three and the color blue, they would need to find three blue objects.

4. Set aside the cards that have already been selected. Choose another number card and color card, and repeat step three! Keep playing until all cards have been flipped over.

5. To close the activity, listen and sing along to the song The Big Numbers Song.

Guiding Questions

• What is this number? How many is this?

• What is this color?

• Can you find [three blue] objects?

Extensions

• Play the game using shape cards. Use the Shape Mats from the Shape Mats activity or draw your own shapes and cut them out. Try the following combinations:

  • Shape cards and number cards

  • Shape cards and color cards

  • For a big challenge: Shape cards, number cards, and color cards!

• Play the game with another child or grownup. Take turns flipping over cards and finding colored objects.

• Using the colored objects the student found, explore making patterns of alternating colors.

• Play the game using numbers up to 20!

• Use the Big Number Song to time your clean-up tasks on a daily basis - can you get the playroom tidy before the song ends?