Vroom Vroom! Let's Count Our Cars!

Materials Needed:

• At least 5 toy cars (a variety of colors and types if possible)
• Large sheet of paper or cardboard (e.g., the back of a cereal box, poster board)
• Thick markers or crayons
• Optional: Painter's tape (if you want to make 'roads' or 'parking bays' on the floor)
• Optional: Small stickers or a special 'Number Star' badge for encouragement

Learning Goals for Today:

• We will learn to count up to 5 cars all by ourselves!
• We will practice pointing to each car as we say its number.
• We will have fun parking our cars in numbered spots!

Let's Get Started! (Lesson Activities)

Warm-Up: Car Parade & Song (5 minutes)

Hello, super car driver! Look at all these cool cars! Can you show me your favorite car? What color is it? Let's make them go 'Vroom Vroom!'

Now, let's sing our special Car Counting Song! (You can make one up or use a tune like 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star'):

(Verse 1)
Cars, cars, shiny and bright,
Let's count them with all our might.
One, two, three, here we go,
Counting cars, watch them flow!

(Verse 2)
Vroom, vroom, cars so neat,
Counting them is such a treat.
Four and five, what a spree,
You're counting cars with me!

Main Activity 1: Counting Car Line-Up (7-10 minutes)

1. Time to Line 'Em Up!: Let's take out our cars one by one.
2. "Here is ONE car!" (Place one car down, say clearly "ONE" and hold up one finger). Encourage your little one to say "ONE" with you.
3. "Let's add another! Now we have... ONE... TWO cars!" (Place a second car. Point to the first car and say "ONE," then point to the second car and say "TWO." Hold up two fingers). Repeat together.
4. Continue Slowly: Add a third car. "Now we have ONE... TWO... THREE cars!" (Point to each and count slowly. Hold up three fingers).
5. Go up to FIVE: Continue this pattern up to five cars, ensuring you point to each car as you say its number. Encourage your child to point and say the numbers with you. Make it exciting! "Wow! FIVE fast cars!"

Main Activity 2: Numbered Parking Lot! (7-10 minutes)

1. Create the Parking Lot: On your large paper/cardboard, draw 5 simple rectangular parking spots. Inside each spot, clearly write a number from 1 to 5. Make them big and easy to see.
2. "Look! A parking lot for our cars! This parking spot says NUMBER 1." (Point to the spot labeled '1'). "Can you drive ONE car into parking spot number 1?" Help your child if needed.
3. "Great parking! Now, let's find parking spot NUMBER 2." (Point to '2'). "How many cars need to go in this spot? That's right, TWO cars! Let's count them: ONE... TWO." Guide your child to park two cars in spot 2.
4. Fill the Lot: Continue for parking spots 3, 4, and 5. For each spot, ask: "What number is this? How many cars go here? Let's count them as we park!"
5. Fun Questions: "Which parking spot has only ONE car?" "Can you show me the parking spot with THREE cars?"

Wrap-Up & Celebration: Car Count Review (3-5 minutes)

1. Final Count-Off: "You did such an amazing job counting and parking! Let's count all our parked cars one more time!" Go through the parking lot, or line them up, and count 1 to 5 together, pointing at each one.
2. Car Noises!: For each number, make a car noise! "1 (vroom!), 2 (beep beep!), 3 (honk honk!), 4 (screeech!), 5 (zoom!)."
3. Praise and Encouragement: "You are a fantastic car counter! Give yourself a big clap! You learned to count all the way to five with your cars today!" Optional: Give a sticker or a 'Number Star' badge.

Checking Our Learning (Informal Assessment):

Throughout the lesson, keep an eye on:

• Is your child trying to say the numbers with you?
• Are they attempting to point to the cars as you/they count?
• Are they engaged and enjoying the activities?
• Do they seem to understand that '3' means three cars?

Remember, for a 3-year-old, participation and positive exposure are key. Mastery will come with repetition and time!

More Car Counting Fun (Extension Ideas for Later):

• Color Count: "Let's find all the red cars. How many red cars do we have?"
• Count & Sort: Sort cars by size (big/small) and count each group.
• Car Hide & Seek: Hide 3 cars. Ask your child to find "THREE cars."
• Build a Garage: Use blocks to build a garage and count how many cars fit inside.

Most importantly, keep it light, fun, and follow your child's interest and pace! Happy Counting!