Didactic games and their educational value in kindergarten

Let’s Be Artists in Mathematics Didactic games and their educational value in kindergarten

The Didactic game in Mathematics Education is considered as a powerful tool for stimulating pupils to a cognitive activity, for raising the pupils’ interest in mathematics as a science and, in result of this, for easier acquisition of the educational contents.

Kindergarten “Sinchec” Troyan BULGARIA

Let’s Be Artists in Mathematics Kindergarten “Sinchec”, BULGARIA

Garden Party For 2 to 4 players from 4 years of age.

Rules: Each player is a gardener trying to grow flowers. You have a flowerbed before you with six colored spaces for flowers.

Each player starts with six flower-shaped cards that correspond to their gardens.On your turn, roll the die. If the color thrown matches the color of one of the outlines in your flowerbed, you “plant” the corresponding flower in your garden by placing a card there. If you roll a color for which you’ve already placed a flower, you skip your turn. The first player to plant all of his flowers wins.

Modified Rules: You could play with all four gardens even if we have less than four players.

When a die color is thrown and you have already planted that color flower, this is an opportunity to help the other players by planting the same color flower in their garden. The game ends when every player’s garden is completed.

Educational value: The game unfolds the child's recognize the colors, think quickly and logically, orientation into space and the knowledge about spring flowers appearance by one entertaining and interesting way.

1 2014

Let’s Be Artists in Mathematics Kindergarten “Sinchec”, BULGARIA

Dice game- Ladybug For 2, 3 or more players from 4-5 years of age.

Rules: Each player starts with a six colored chips. On the back of the ladybug there is fields with black sport from 1 to 6. On your turn, roll the die. If the spots on the die matches with the sports of one of the fields, you put your chips there. If you roll a number for which you’ve already put the chips, you skip your turn. The first player put all his chips on the back to the ladybug wins.

Educational value: The game unfolds the child's ability to count, think quickly and logically, orientation into space and the knowledge about numbers appearance by one entertaining and interesting way.

2 2014

Let’s Be Artists in Mathematics Kindergarten “Sinchec”, BULGARIA

Tic- tac- toe Ladybug game For players from 5-6 years of age.

The Pieces: Each player has five pieces. These pieces can be drawn or placed such as pebbles on a beach. It does not matter what type of pieces are used as long as there are two different sets of pieces. Typically, if the pieces are drawn, one player marks X and the other player marks O. Rules: To move: Place your piece in an open square.

To win: Connect three in a row horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Starting with a board of nine empty squares, two players alternate turns placing X’s and O’s (colorful buttons) in the empty squares.

3 2014

Let’s Be Artists in Mathematics Kindergarten “Sinchec�, BULGARIA

The colorful ladybug For 2 players from 4-5 years of age.

Rules: One of the players turn the magic clover in the back of the biggest one ladybug. In one of the leaves there is range. The second player has four small ladybugs and have put them so that in the range of their back there is the same color like in the rage of the clover (the small ladybugs must inverted with their faces to the clover) . Then the players change their roles.

Modified Rules: In the beginning the teacher could be partner of the children in the game and could turn the clover.

Educational value: There are many ways you to foster child's memory, observation, attention and their sustainability. Using different educational games unfold the child's ability to recognize colors, think quickly and logically by one entertaining and interesting way.

4 2014

Let’s Be Artists in Mathematics Kindergarten “Sinchec”, BULGARIA

Shoe Tying For players from 5-6 years of age.

Educational value: Though most kids' shoes now feature Velcro closures, learning to tie one’s own shoes is still considered to be milestone that children should master by 5 or 6 years of age.

But, teaching a child to tie his own shoes can be frustrating; kids can lose interest quickly if they feel the task is too difficult, or they may seem to "get it" one day only to completely forget the next.

5 2014

Let’s Be Artists in Mathematics Kindergarten “Sinchec”, BULGARIA

Funny buttons For players from 3-6 years of age.

Rules: Each one player have ones one vehicles or objects from the environment and the nature. In the table there is placed different geometric figures in varied colors and sizes.

Each one player have to find one’s own and put them in the vehicles or the objects. The players change their vehicles or the objects.

Modified Rules: In the beginning the teacher could be partner of the children in the game or two children be team.

Educational value: This game will help children learn not only to button. It will learn them know colors, vehicles, objects from the environment and the nature. The game will help children mastered fine motor skills. Without these dressing skills, children will not be able to meet appropriate developmental milestones and become independent in dressing themselves.

These fine motor skills are also the foundation for later skills they will need for tool manipulation, handwriting, and activities which require the proper development of the intrinsic muscles of the hand (the small muscles that allow for fine, precise and coordinated hand and finger manipulation).

6 2014

Let’s Be Artists in Mathematics Kindergarten “Sinchec”, BULGARIA

Memory cards For 2, 3 or more players from 3-6 years of age.

Rules: Shuffle the cards and lay them on the table, face down, in a pattern (e.g. 4 cards x 13 cards). The one of the player goes first. Play then proceeds clockwise. On each turn, a player turns over two cards (one at a time) and keeps them if they match numbers. If they successfully match a pair of numbers, that player also gets to take another turn. When a player turns over two cards that do not match numbers, those cards are turned face down again and it becomes the next player’s turn. Thewinner of the game is player which collect the most pairs of cards.

Modified Rules: To make the game easier, cards can be removed in sets of 4. To make the game more difficult, require players to match both numbers and colors, as opposed to just numbers.

Educational value: There are many ways you to foster child's memory. The ability to memorize numbers or solve math problems requires training. Through the employment of specific exercises a child can be trained to remember more with less effort. Working on memory skills from a young age will help prepare a student for the future. Memory games can help your child master techniques for organizing and storing information that will be of benefit for years to come.

7 2014

Let’s Be Artists in Mathematics Kindergarten “Sinchec�, BULGARIA

Lacing buttons For 2, 3 or more players from 3-6 years of age.

Rules: Each one of the players got different number of plastic buttons. They (the buttons) are in primary colors, each with a different number of holes and the corresponding number in both relief and braille. The buttons could be lanced without rules in the beginning. Later kids could laced them in some sequence- by color, by number of holes or form. You could prepare some example cards and so complicate the game.

Educational value: Lacing is one of the important everyday life manipulative skills. Learning to lace shoes, crafting with laces requires concentration, patience, eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills. Lacing toys are among the best instruments to develop all these skills in children. Children will work with their fingers and improve their dexterity playing with different type of materials.

8 2014

Let’s Be Artists in Mathematics Kindergarten “Sinchec�, BULGARIA

The button snake For players from 3-6 years of age.

Rules: The button snake is game that will keep children one occupied and learning at the same time. The button snake was designed as a way to practice buttoning and unbuttoning. Preschoolers will find great satisfaction as they independently string the felt shapes onto the button ribbon to create a snake. Children could play the game not only with buttons, but shapes such as hearts, flowers, and geometric figures.

Educational value: The same like learning to lace.

9 2014

Let’s Be Artists in Mathematics Kindergarten “Sinchec�, BULGARIA

The puzzle For players from 3-6 years of age.

Puzzles have long been a favorite learning toy of kids, moms and educators. Giving children a variety of puzzles enhances their early childhood educational experience both at home and in school.

Cognitive skills: Puzzles improve a child's problem solving and reasoning skills. It helps them to see whole-part relationships, increases their visual special awareness and depending on the subject matter can teach them a variety of topics like the Alphabet, Numbers, Color recognition, shape recognition, categories like pets or transportation vehicles, and more.

Fine motor skills: Puzzles are fun way to improve fine motor skills. Fine motor manipulation is key for writing but children start learning this skill long before they can hold a crayon or a pencil. Various types of puzzles like peg puzzles and chunky can help teach little ones to pick up and grasp pieces and they aid in the development of the pincher grasp.

Hand-eye coordination: As a child places each piece in the puzzle they are manipulating it so see if it fits. Their hand eye coordination is enhanced through this trial and error process.

Social skills: Puzzles can be done alone but are also a great tool for fostering cooperative play. As kids ask for a piece to be passed to them, or discuss where a piece should go they are sharing the task and learning to cooperate. It can also help a child learn how to handle frustration when a piece does not fit.

10 2014