Christmas Count
One of the activities that is popular with young children I work with is "How Many Flash". Actually the activity doesn' have a name and it's something I do quickly between main activities. We use special A5 flashcards with a question on one side and picture on the other. I read the question on the back and then flash the card either quickly or slowly depending upon both the ability of the children and the kind of challenge they have requested. The card displays lots of small pictures, some of which match the target question and the rest which act as a distraction. Some children like me to expose teh card slowly so that they have time to point and count. Others like the challenge of looking at the card quickly and taking in all the infomration in one go. After showing the card children state their answers and then I show them the back of the card where a numerical answer is printed in one corner.
One consideration when doing this activity is to make sure that it doesn't become a test. A challenge is fine but if the children feel they are being tested then fun goes out and stress creeps in.
With How Many Flash the question comes first so the children know what they are looking for. For Christmas parties this year (2009) I decided to make a similar activity but with the question coming after looking at the card. You can see the result for yourself by playing the video below. I'd welcome some feedback.
