Math Fun at the Diner

Last Sunday, our family went to one of our favorite local diners for breakfast. After being seated, my oldest daughter (2.5 years old) immediately started to get out all of the jellies and jams from the display on our table. Some parents might scold their child and put them all back, but I chose to use it as a teachable moment.

We had two different kinds of jellies and jams on the table: strawberry and grape. This meant the containers were two different colors. We started by asking her to make a tower. When she grew tired of that, we moved on to playing "memory match". We flipped all of the containers over and took turns revealing the flavor/color on the other side to find matches.

Before she grew bored of this game, we cleaned up so we could eat our delicious breakfast. If we had had more time, we would have moved on to pattern making play. In this activity, I would have had her copy a pattern I had made and then try to continue it until she ran out of containers.

Remember, no matter where you are, children want to engage with their parents/guardians and if it isn't making a mess its okay to play somewhere you wouldn't normally think to play.