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December 1, 2014

How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Guess & Count Math Activity for Kids (Christmas Read + Play)

I LOVE the story How the Grinch Stole Christmas because it’s super cute and heartwarming, so when I set to the task of prepping a book based activity for the  Christmas Read + Play Blog Hop, I knew I wanted to do something Grinch-ish. This activity was inspired by the Grinch’s heart being 3 sizes too small and is a fun way to practice guessing, logic, and counting. 
How the Grinch Stole Christmas Math Activity (Estimation, Counting, December)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Guess & Count Math Activity

Supplies:
M&M’s (or other small candy or objects)
3 heart shaped cookie cutters of various sizes (Or just draw 3 hearts on a piece of paper)
Directions:
1.  Guess how many M&Ms will fit into each heart and write the guesses down.
Before we guessed, I asked Ms. Tiger which heart was the largest, and which was the smallest. She hypothesized that the smallest heart would hold the least amount of candy, and the largest heart would hold the most. Then she made her guesses. Since this was her first time guessing and larger numbers are still abstract for her, her guesses seemed really random which is totally fine and part of the discovery process.
Some kids may want to count the M&Ms instead of guess. You may suggest having them close their eyes, and saying the first number that comes to mind. Being able to come up with a logical guess is a learned skill and this is a great first step.
2.  Fill the hearts with M&Ms.
I suggest using less M&Ms if your kiddo is still learning large numbers. The first time we did this activity Ms. Tiger filled the hearts with a lot of candy. The next time we did it, we limited the amount of candy to make it easier.
3.  Count each pile of M&Ms inside each heart and write the findings down.  I suggest lining the M&Ms up in a line while counting them to make it easier for visual comparisons. Compare the actual number, to the guesses in step 1 and talk about the findings. This activity is not about being right or wrong, it’s just about observations and comparisons.We would say something like, “The small heart had more M&M’s then we guessed, the medium heart had less M&Ms then we guessed…”
Whenever candy is involved, my kids are all about whatever activity we are doing with this one being no exception. Hopefully your kiddos are just as motivated!
 You may also like:
How the Grinch Stole Christmas printable card
Grinch Inspired Christmas Ornament Noodle Craft
This post is presented as part of the Christmas Read + Play collection put together by Carolyn from The Pleasantest Thing.  Please visit the Christmas Read + Play page to see more awesome book-based activities for Christmas.

See more: Book Activities

The Gingerbread Man Storytelling Craft and Free Printable

The Gingerbread Man Storytelling Craft and Free Printable: Kids can decorate an envelope to look like a gingerbread house and color, cut, and retell the story with the characters from the book. (December, Kids Activity, Book Extension, Christmas, Preschool, Kindergarten)

See more: Math Activities

Place the Ones Math Activity + Free Printable

Learn to Count to 100: Place the Ones Free Printable Math Activity- helps kids learn to count to 100, introduces them to place values, helps with number recognition and number relationships while allowing them to be actively involved as they learn (math, preschool, kindergarten, first grade)

Thanks for learning with us today. If you enjoyed this idea please pin & share it with others so they can enjoy it too! Love, Katie & the Kiddos

Filed Under: Book Inspiration, Christmas, Counting, Dr. Suess, Elementary, Math, Preschool

Top Resources

  • The Very Hungry Caterpillar Printable Activity Pack: This adorable pack of engaging activities will teach children letters, numbers, phonics, fine motor skills, shapes, life cycle of a butterfly, nutrition, days of the week, and more. It makes teaching and learning fun and easy. (#preschool #kindergarten #printables #kidsactivities #homeschool) The Very Hungry Caterpillar Activity Pack $10.00 $6.99 + tax
  • Interactive Calendar for Kids: Print and assemble to teach kids days of the week, months, years, and holidays. #homeschoom #preschool #kindergarten Interactive Calendar for Kids *UPDATED* $5.00 $4.50 + tax
  • Alphabet Road Letter Mats: As students race around each track, they will practice letter identification and letter formation. Each track has green dots to guide children where to start, arrows to point them in the right direction, and stop signs to help them know when they have reached the end. (#preschool, #kindergarten #alphabet #homeschool #kidsactivity) Alphabet Road Letter Mats Printable Kids Activity $3.99 $2.99 + tax
  • Alphabet Phonics Spinners: If you are at home or school this set of Alphabet Phonics Spinners makes learning letter sounds fun and engaging. (#Phonics #kidsactivity #homeschool #preschool #kindergarten #alphabet) Alphabet Phonics Spinners Printable Kids Activity $3.99 $2.99 + tax
« Build a Snowman with Glass Gems Creative Winter Play
How the Grinch Stole Christmas Printable Card »

Comments

  1. Emma @ P is for Preschooler says

    December 1, 2014 at 5:20 pm

    Creative use of the "3 sizes too small thing" – I never would have thought of that!

    • Katie says

      December 2, 2014 at 6:53 am

      Hi Emma, thanks so much! I was staring at our cookie cutters and it all just came together 🙂

  2. Jennifer Tammy says

    December 2, 2014 at 10:32 am

    Such an awesome idea! We've never played a "guess the amount" game, this would be a wonderful start!

    • Katie says

      December 5, 2014 at 7:42 am

      Hi Jennifer, thanks so much! We will be doing more guessing games in the future to help get the concept down.

  3. Natalie PlanetSmartyPants says

    December 5, 2014 at 8:13 pm

    How fun! I will be featuring this post in the next After School post on Monday

Trackbacks

  1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Story Time Activities - My Joy-Filled Life says:
    December 7, 2016 at 12:11 am

    […] Guessing and Counting Activity with the Grinch from A Little Pinch of Perfect […]

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