Make a countdown chain to make counting and subtraction practice fun!
*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.*
Did you ever make a countdown chain as a kid?
I remember the anticipation that came with making one of these. It meant there was something big, fun, and exciting coming.
I always loved making one as a countdown to Christmas, my favorite time of year!
These are great ways to practice counting and subtraction with your kids.
If you have a special occasion, holiday, vacation, etc., coming up, make one of these to get your kids excited about it. They won’t even realize they’re learning while they’re doing it!
What you’ll need
How to make it
1. Cut your construction paper into even strips. Make sure you have enough for each day leading up to your event.
2. Loop all your strips together, interlocking each one with the previous one. Secure each one with glue, tape, or staples.
4. Design the top part of your paper chain. This is the part that’ll hold your chain. Make sure you include your special event!
5. Secure your finished chain to the topper that you made with glue, tape, or staples.
6. Hang up your countdown chain where it’ll be easily seen, and start counting!
How to use for counting
Each day before you remove one of the loops, count to see how many you have. Then, remove one loop and count again!
Do this each day until there are none left.
How to use for subtraction
Count the number of loops that you begin with.
Then ask your child how many you will have left when you subtract (remove, take away) one.
Next, remove a loop and count the ones that are left.
Tips
Write numbers on each loop as a visual, starting with 1 on the top loop. Your child will be able to see what each number looks like as it’s being counted. *You can write the numbers in word form, too*
For holidays, like Christmas, add something fun to do on each loop. Add things like bake cookies, decorate the tree, watch a Christmas movie, etc. to make it even more fun for your kids!
