Teaching numbers to kids can be a lot of fun with the number monsters!! This handsome fella has been soaking up his lessons with mom for a couple months now. We got a late start with him and so we’ve been playing a little catch-up! Luckily after lessons with my first two, I’ve learned a few tricks and Jem has just sky-rocketed!
After 3 weeks, he’s almost gone all his numbers down! He asks me daily if he can “feed his number monsters!” It’s so fun and easy… Plus, Owen and Lanae can help him learn by watching him count out the “food” his feeding the monsters… it’s never real food! Keep reading to see what we feed ’em.
Teaching Numbers Can Be Easy:
While creating the bags, I knew that Jemison didn’t recognize the numbers yet, so I made sure that each monster had the same number of eyes as it’s number. Then it was easy for him to count to figure out what the number was.
Set up your number monster bags by printing the bag labels and attaching them to paper bags with glue or tape. I wanted them to be sturdy since we would be using them over and over again for a couple weeks, so I used my good ol’ hot glue gun! Then it was time to surprise Jemison with the bags and introduce him to the number monsters!
Let’s just say he was excited to meet his new teaching companions!
How to Use the Number Monsters Bag Covers:
We had so much fun with the number monsters! This is the easiest time I have had teaching numbers and I’ve been super impressed with how quickly Jemison was able to start recognizing the numbers. Here are a few ideas for how to use the number bags.
Introduce the Monster Numbers – Have them count the eyes to figure out which number is which. They can trace the number on each bag with their finger. Spread out the monsters and practice finding the right number monster when they are all spread out.
Feed the Monsters – Every day for a week, feed the monsters something different. Remind the kids that the monsters only need the same number of food items as the number they have on their bag. Count out each item as you put it into the bag for extra practice. Make it more fun by letting the kids choose what to feed the monsters… we feed ours legos, marbles, broken crayons, etc. Just small fun items around the house that we won’t mind missing for a week or two as we master our numbers. I emphasize small if you want to fold the bags up between activities so that they’ll store easier.
Dancing Monsters – Mix up the monsters and have the kids find the right monster number. I always sing and dance with the kids as we do this to make it more fun!
Monsters in Order – Have the kids order the monsters from 1-9 as fast as possible.
Run and Stand – Have the kids step back about 10 feet. Call out a number and they’ll run and stand in front of the correct monster. If they get it right, they do a happy dance or get a high five. If not, they have to do another task (jumping jacks, toe touches, etc.) and then try again. Call it a workout!!
Empty the Bags – After a couple weeks, empty the bags and have the kids sort and count the items so that they can put them away.
These are just a few of the ways we used them! Be creative and come up with your own favorite way to practice numbers with the number monsters!
Number Monster Printables
