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their tops to find a match. They
work together to find the correct
answer.
The teacher shows a top and asks:
Who has a smaller/bigger/same
size top? Visual matching is an
important skill. The teacher can
also show the top and then put the
top away and see if the children
can remember which colour/size
top she asked for.
Choose one of the pair (e.g. the
tallest) and ask that child to sort
the tops in their tray.
Now the children must explain to
their partners how they sorted
them. Did they sort for colour/
shape/size/made of the same
material?
The partners then sort them in a
different way and explain how and
why they sorted the lids and tops.
The teacher now asks each pair to
sort by colour – which colour has
the most/fewest lids/tops? Lots
of counting can happen here. The
teacher can record the counting.
She can also ask the children to
write the number on the mat/in
the air/on their partners’ backs,
etc.
The teacher can ask who has the
biggest/smallest top in the room.
3. Patterns
• In their pairs, the one with largest
hands/longest hair (the teacher
chooses) makes a simple pattern
at the top of the box, e.g. a blue
top, a red top, a blue top, a red
top
• The partner copies the pattern
below the first pattern (remember
LEFT to RIGHT – practise for
reading and writing)
• Allow the other partner to make a
new pattern.
• The partner must identify which
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comes next and complete the
pattern.
4. Shape
In a big group or in pairs, tell the
children to –
• sort the lids into different shapes
•• find all the round/square/
rectangular/oval lids
• talk about bigger/smaller/the
same size when you choose a lid
• ask who has bigger/smaller lids of
the same shape
• use the bottle tops and in
pairs make a triangle, square,
rectangle, circle
• make a big square/small triangle,
etc.
• count how many tops they used to
make the shape.
5. Number
The teacher tells the children to listen
carefully. She claps 5 times and tells
the children to take that number of
tops. She watches to see who listens
and takes five tops.
• When all the children have five
tops i