Measuring and Counting with Ocean Animals

Learning is always much more fun when you can incorporate more than one sense.  This counting and measuring activity uses the children’s senses of touch and taste.

Grade, Age Range or Specialized Learner: Multi-age, Preschool/Pre-K, 3-5 year old

Target Learning Skills:

• Non-standard measurement and estimation
• Counting
• Comparing

Measuring and Counting with Ocean Animals

Preschool Activities: 

Media Root

Print of How Many Fish? Measuring Pattern Cards (Members only) and gather a significant supply of fish-shaped crackers. We found that laminating the cards help them be more stable for sharing amongst the children. The non-protected paper versions tended to absorb oil from the crackers.

Preschool Activities: 

Media Root

Demonstrate to the children how to use the crackers to measure the length of one of the ocean animal patterns.  Lay each cracker head to tail along one side of the animal. 

Preschool Activities: 

Media Root

Count each fish, making sure that you touch the fish as you say each number.

Preschool Activities: 

Media Root

Now that the children know what to do, give them each a handful of crackers and let them explore the activity on their own. 

Preschool Activities: 

Media Root

After they have measured a few animals encourage them to find another way to place their crackers while measuring.  Did changing the position of the fish crackers change the measurement? 

Preschool Activities: 

Media Root

What other measurements could you find on the animal patterns?  This child tried to measure “all around” the animal.  This opened a discussion about perimeter!

Submitted by KidsSoup member Beth Steward

View our I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean Activities

Preschool Activities: 

Media Root

View more preschool and kindergarten ocean and ocean animals activities, crafts, and games

Preschool Activities: 

Media Root

KidsSoup Resource Library

Preschool Activities: 

Media Root