5 Snack Counting Games for Little Learners

Counting is easier, and a lot more fun, when you can eat the answer. These five games use crackers, cereal, grapes, or any small snack, and each one takes less than five minutes.

1. Feed the Dino

Draw a simple dinosaur mouth on a paper plate. Call out a number from 1 to 10 and let your child “feed” Dino that many snacks. Count together out loud as each one goes in.

2. One More, One Less

Put a small pile of snacks on the table. Ask, “What happens if we add one more?” Count again. Then eat one and ask, “How many now?” This builds the idea behind addition and subtraction.

3. Ten-Frame Snack

Draw two rows of five boxes on paper. Fill the boxes with snacks to show a number. Kids quickly start to see that 7 is “5 and 2 more” without counting every piece.

4. Fair Share

Give your child a handful of snacks and two or three toy “friends.” Ask them to share fairly. Count how many each friend gets and whether any are left over.

5. Snack Race to 20

Roll a die and add that many snacks to a line. Keep going until you reach 20. Count by ones, then try counting the line again in groups.

Want more? Count & Add to 20 includes “Try it with snacks” prompts throughout the book.