3-in-1 Counting Busy Bag Activity

This busy bag activity combines counting, one-to-one correspondence, number recognition, colour recognition and even a bit of literacy and fine motor skills! The best part is that it takes only a few minutes to put together. Great for car trips or when out and about with some time to kill.

You'll need:

• black permanent marker
• five clothespins
• coloured popsicle sticks (available at craft and dollar stores)
• letter stickers
• animal stickers (or stickers, really)

Write the numbers one through five on your clothespins.

Use the letter stickers to spell out the words one through five on your coloured sticks, using a different colour for each word.

Using corresponding coloured sticks, add one through five stickers on another set of popsicle sticks.

If that's enough for your preschooler, you can leave it there! Package up the clothespins and the sticks in a bag or small container and kids can pull out sticks and clothespins to match in a variety of ways. 

If you want to add another layer of play, add coloured dots to the clothespins that match the corresponding coloured sticks, and kids can work on matching colours as well as numbers. For kids who are still learning, these dots can also provide a visual hint.

There are lots of different ways to play with this activity, so let us know how your kids might play with it in the comments below!