It’s time for another super fun set of Thanksgiving circle time games! This set is all about numbers and counting! (If you missed my Thanksgiving circle time games for letters & sounds, just click HERE to go check them out!) These three games will get your kiddos engaged and excited about practicing their number recognition and counting skills because they’ll be so busy having fun, they won’t even realized they’re learning!
Turkey Hunt
The pesky turkey who kept talking the pilgrim’s hat in my “Pilgrim, Where’s Your Hat?” game is back! But, this time he just keeps running away and hiding. So, you’ll have to take your kiddos on a turkey hunt to find him! You can choose kiddos to hide the turkey and then choose kiddos to guess which number he’s hiding under. This quick and easy game is a great time-filler when you just have a few extra minutes. It’s also great to use during transition times!
I Have, Who Has
This classic game is always a favorite! Just pass out the cards, start with the first card (it’s printed in green to make it easy to identify), and help your kiddos decide who is next until you get to the last card (printed in red). Even if your kiddos are non-readers, they can still play this simple game if they can recognize the numbers and count the feathers. It’s also super easy to differentiate with this one, and your kiddos won’t even know you’re doing it. Just be very selective about who gets which cards. If you have a kiddo who hasn’t mastered counting ten objects yet, then give him a card with fewer feathers. The best part happens once your kiddos know how to play and have gotten pretty good at it. Then you can challenge them to see how quickly they can finish! Use a timer and keep challenging them to beat their own times!
How Many Hiding?
How Many Hiding? is a perfect game for decomposing numbers. (And decomposing numbers is critical for kiddos to be successful at adding and subtracting as they get older!) That pesky turkey is back, and this time he’s taking corn cobs! Here’s how you play this game:
- Decide how many corn cobs you are going to start with. If you’ve never done this type of activity with your kiddos, you’ll probably want to start with three.
- Show your kiddos how many you’re starting with and count them together a few times. Knowing the starting quantity is crucial for this game!
- Hide some of the corn cobs under the turkey while your kiddos hide their eyes.
- When they open their eyes, have them count the corn that is still showing. They use that to figure out how many are hiding under the turkey. (For example, if you started with three, and one is still showing, they can figure out that two are hiding.)
As they get better at this skill, increase the number of corn cobs you start with. And, let me give you a little bit of advice with this one… This game is designed to help your kiddos develop number concepts. Do not fall into the temptation to turn this into memorizing addition facts! That is NOT the point of this game! If they can master the concepts of decomposing the different quantities, the addition facts will be a snap when they are old enough to need them!
If you want to grab your own set of these Thanksgiving circle time games, just click the product cover below to head over to my TPT store! And here’s the best part… All three games are in a single file for ONE DOLLAR!! So, they are super affordable, too!
Once you’re using them in your classroom, leave me a note in the comments to let me know about it! And, don’t forget to check out my other sets of Thanksgiving circle time games!
AND… here’s the best part! All three sets of these Thanksgiving circle time games are available in one big bundle in my TPT store! Just click the product cover to get your own copy!
Happy Teaching!
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