Domain: NC Foundations for Early Learning: Cognitive Development (CD)

Subdomain: Mathematical Thinking and Expression

Goal: Children show understanding of numbers and quantities during play and other activities

Skill Progression: Counting

Age: 54-60 Months

Click here to go to all skills for ages 54-60 Months.

Magic card tricks. Prior to the activity remove the face cards from several decks of cards and divide the rest into suits, so you have four sets of 1-10 cards for each deck of cards. Divide children into pairs and give each pair of children a set of the 10 shuffled cards. Explain that they all get to learn magic tricks with numbers to perform for their parents or friends. The adult should demonstrate the trick first without explaining what she is doing. This way the children will think it is a real trick and understand how their parent will be amazed. Then explain how to do the tricks before the children do them, using a child for an assistant. Card trick one: Remind the children that the cards are in order, so the magic involves knowing what number comes before or after the card drawn. Card trick two: Make sure cards are back in order. Remind children that the cards are in order and the last (top) card is a 10. Spread them out somewhat on the table. When the assistant points to a

Card trick one: 1) First have each pair of children turn their cards face down and count them. See what total they get. 2) Have the pairs turn the cards over and arrange them in order from 1-10. Cards are then turned over face down in a pile. 3) Have each team select who will be the “magician” first. The magician spreads the cards out in front of her on the table in order (they can overlap some). The magician’s assistant then chooses a card and lays it face up. The magician then concentrates and performs a magic movement or phrase and says, “The card just before this card is a …!” The assistant turns over the card, if the magician is correct, the assist applauds wildly and cheers! (If incorrect, the assistant can take a guess.) The magician announces, “The card after this card is a….” The assistant turns it over, etc. Return cards to the pile in the right sequence. After several tries, the roles are reversed. 4) Card trick two: With cards back in order and face down, spread t

1) When children are counting their cards, listen for any inaccurate counting patterns and see if the partner corrects any errors. 2) See if children get the number order correct (number recognition). 3) Observe and see which children understand the concepts of one less than and one more than a number. If a mistake is made, can the pair figure it out together? If needed the adult can demonstrate how to count forward from the first card to figure it out. 4) Observe whether the child can count backward accurately.

This is a great trick to teach children to do with their parents. Ask the parents for a deck of cards, if available in the home. If not, tell the children they can make cards by cutting pieces of paper and writing the numbers from 1-10 on them. Tell them to arrange their cards without their parents seeing. This way their parents will be really surprised when they know the right number. Tell them to practice before they do it for their parents, so they know they will pick the right numbers. Parents will love this activity!