Counting Ducks | A Toddler Math Game

In the past I’ve talked about using animals as math manipulatives and shared a fun game for preschool or elementary. You can use animals in toddler math games, too. Check out our simple counting ducks activity and see what I mean.

Counting Ducks | A Toddler Math Game

We some how have amassed a duck collection. My oldest son has always been found of ducks but it wasn’t until Lily’s baby shower that he felt the need to have more. My mother in law used 5 ducks for party decorations. Aiden happily added them to his existing duck collection of 2 or 3. A few more ducks have been acquired since then. Now we have 11 ducks. Cue the counting game.

First I placed all of the ducks into a bucket for Lily to explore. Toddlers love to take things out of containers. (Don’t worry. Their destructive play is a good thing.) As Lily took the ducks out, I counted them. We took them in and out of the bucket a few times counting the ducks along the way.

Then, I lined all of the ducks up in a row. I counted them as I placed them in line. Lily then knocked each duck out of line.

How many ducks will fit into this small bowl?

One (super) duck fits into the small bowl.

How many little ducks fit into the small bowl?

Three small ducks fit!

How many ducks fit into the large bowl?

We continued counting and playing with the ducks until Lily was tired and ready for a nap. Such a simple introduction to counting that’s so much fun.

More Animal Ideas for Toddlers

• 12 Great Animal Sound Books for Toddlers
• Farm Animal Treasure Hunt
• Animal Matching Game for Toddlers

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This post was originally published on June 18, 2015.