Notes for adults

Age 3 · 10 min · Medium

Children find and circle eight stars among moons, planets and clouds, then count them with an adult.

Learning objectives

• Recognize stars among other pictures in the sky.
• Circle the stars, with help when needed.
• Count the circled stars with adult support.

What you need

• Printed activity page
• Crayon or colored pencil

Safety notes

Use an age-appropriate crayon or pencil and stay with your child during the activity.

How to do it

1. Print the page and place a crayon within your child's reach.
2. Look at the pictures together and name the star, moon, planet and cloud.
3. Show your child how to find and circle a star.
4. Invite your child to find and circle the other stars.
5. Count the circled stars together, pointing to each one.
6. Check together that you found all eight stars, and celebrate your child's effort.

Teaching suggestions

• Say, “Let's look for one star at a time.”
• If the page feels tricky, cover part of it with another sheet and reveal the pictures a few at a time.
• When counting, pause after four, then continue to eight.
• In a group, give each child their own page and invite them to share what they found.

Variations

• Easier: Find and circle just three stars together. Continue if your child wants to.
• More challenging: Invite your child to count all eight stars with less help, pointing to each one.
• Extend the activity: Draw a sky with stars on another sheet of paper and talk about the picture together.

Talk about it

• How did you know it was a star?
• What else did you find in the sky on the page?
• How can we check that we counted every star?
• What would you like to draw in your sky?

What to look for

• Notice whether the child can tell stars apart from the other pictures.
• See whether the child can circle the stars, with or without help.
• Watch whether the child points to each star while counting with an adult.