Preschool: Snakes and Ladders
“One, two, three, four, five,” the child said as she moved her game piece along the squares of a game board. “Your turn!” she exclaimed to a friend. The other child excitedly rolled the dice and they proceeded to play the traditional children’s counting game, Snakes and Ladders. The game has been a very popular math work this week. The children are not only enhancing their counting skills with this activity, they are also practicing patience and taking turns. Snakes and Ladders is one of several games we currently have in the preschool classroom. Other games include Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel (another game which involves numbers, as well as color matching), Fall Bingo and Animal Memory. We find that games are a great way for young children to develop many social skills, as well as helping them to boost their language skills, lengthen their attention span, practice following instructions, and how to act like a good sport.
