What is a fun graph game that will teach my preschooler about graphing?
It’s time for the start of a new preschool series and of course I went with something that Little Bear is pretty interested in right now: graphing and measuring. Little Bear has been playing with a wooden ruler a lot lately and he has been asking me how big things are. I, of course, must jump on this opportunity to teach him all about measuring while he is interested in it. I will also include some graphing activities in this series because Little Bear thinks graphs are really cool.
I often print off preschool packs for Little Bear to complete (in addition to the preschool curriculum he does with me). Some of my favorite preschool packs are from 3 Dinosaurs and 1+1+1=1. Many of these preschool packs have “roll and graph” activities. Little Bear absolutely loves these activities and he always wants to complete them first.
Instead of making a printable exactly like the ones already available, I decided to change it up a bit. Instead, I made a spin and graph printable. The best part about this graph game is that it’s blank, so you can fill in the spaces however you choose. To use the printable, print off the first page on regular paper, then print off the second page (the spinner) on cardstock.
Stick a brad in the middle of the spinner and turn it around so that it’s nice and loose. Take the brad out and put a paper clip over it before putting it back into the spinner and securing it in place. Bend one end the paper clip out so that it is a pointer.
To play this fun spin and graph game, first choose what you want on the spinner. Little Bear chose to paint each section a different color. You could also put stickers in the sections, dot markers, etc. Be creative! Remember to also fill in the sections on the graph page with the same things as the spinner.
Now for the fun part, flick the paperclip with your finger and wait to see where it lands. Make a mark (or paint, dot marker, or put on a sticker) on the corresponding place on the graph. Continue to do this until one section has been spun five times. That section is the winner!
Little Bear really loves this spin and graph game. His favorite part is flicking the paperclip. I’m thinking of laminating a blank spinner so that I can put something on it to play, but then take it off again after. That way, it will be a reusable spinner. Brilliant, right! Hopefully your preschooler will find this spin and graph game just as fun as mine does.
*Want to see more themed activities like this for toddlers or preschoolers? Check out our store page where our toddler and preschool series are compiled into Activity Packs for only $1.99! The Activity Packs are full of lesson plans, printables, and a curriculum guide.