Counting Jar

Counting Jar is regular activity that we do in preschool to work on 1 to 1 correspondence (counting objects one at a time). The big jar has a a number of things in it. The kids count the things in the jar. Then, they write down the number they counted on a pieces of paper. They always have a number line and rubber stamps to help them figure out what the number looks like. Next, they have a Ziploc bag with their name on it. They find some other items in the classroom and fill their bag with the same number of objects that they counted in the counting jar. When everyone has finished, we use a Closing Meeting time to check our work. The picture above is of Counting Jar check. Each row of objects represents another child's bagful of stuff. We decide if they had the same, more or less than the number that was in the Jar. If they had more, they put away the extras to correct their work. If they had less, they go get some more to add to their row to correct their work. That helps them learn to double check their work. When everyone's work is done and correct, we practice counting ALL of the objects on the floor together. This gives them an opportunity to count to very high numbers together.