Double up the Seek and Find

Materials: 

• A seek and find book about bugs, such as 1001 Bugs to Spot from Usborne Books & More
• Large bowl
• Rice
• Small toy bugs
• A printed picture of the toy bugs

Skill:

• Fine motor skills
• Discrimination
• Matching
• Counting
• Addition/Subtraction
• Connecting literature to real-life experiences

Ages: 3-6

What kid doesn’t love a good seek and find book? There is something really gripping about looking at a well-illustrated page and trying to find a specific object on that page. Kids love it! I love that while they are enjoying the book their brains are actually developing and honing some great skills that will help them with reading, math, and many other learning opportunities.

Of course I am never one to leave good enough alone. I love to extend the experience and make it even better. Thus was born “doubling up” the seek and find. Here is how it works:

First, you read the book. Have the children spend as much or as little time as they want looking through the pictures and finding the bugs. Talk about the similarities and differences between the different bugs. Don’t feel like you have to read the whole book, but instead let your child/children’s interest guide you.

Once you are finished with the book, fill the bowl with rice and hide the toy bugs in the rice. Have the children search through the rice and find the hidden bugs. 

Once they find a bug, have them match the bug to the printed pictures. Encourage them to search out all of the hidden bugs while talking about the similarities and differences between the bugs they have found. 

Children will love feeling the rice and the bugs, and they will enjoy the challenge of a real-life seek and find to go along with the seek and find in the book. So much learning happening, and the children will think they are just playing!

Extensions:  

• Have them count the bugs they have found or count the pictures that they haven’t covered yet. 
• Practice addition and subtraction as they find more bugs and add to the finished pictures (or subtract from the uncovered pictures). 

[Disclaimer: I am an independent consultant for Usborne Books & More, however, they do not employ me to review their books or compensate me in any way for my reviews. These are my personal thoughts and do not reflect the views of the company.]