I can teach a little boy anything with a toy car. Well, almost anything! You can still buy toy cars for $1 or less at a dollar store. You can use these cars for centers, games, and other activities in your classroom. Shoot, I bet even little girls would enjoy playing and learning with the cars!
Ask children to sort the cars. What was their sorting rule? Can they sort them another way?
Left to Right
Put a green dot on one side of a poster and a red dot at the opposite end. Children use the cars to drive from green to red on the curves, zigzags, and lines.
LettersWrite lower letters on sticky dots and put them on the cars. Make paper houses with uppercase letters. Can they match the cars with the houses?
Phonological Awareness
Make a parking lot with three spaces. As you say a word children park the car according to where they hear the sound (beginning, middle, end) of the word.
Numerical Order
Write numerals on sticky dots and place them on the cars. Can children arrange them in order?
Place ValueUse cars for tens and ones.
Sets and Numbers
Make a parking lot with different sets of dots in each space. Children match up numbers on the cars with the correct space.
Roll and AddWrite numerals 1-12 on a long strip of paper. Children roll two dice, add up the numbers, and then move their car to the correct space.