Activity: Number Cookie Monster

This is an incredibly fun way to work on numbers (or letters) with your child! It's quick and easy to make, and they will love feeding their cookie monster the number cookies. Here are the directions (along with a couple ways to use the number cookie monster to teach your child). There's also a bonus activity at the bottom!

Start with an empty Pringles can (or similar container). Measure and cut a piece of plain paper so that it will wrap around and cover the container. Have your child color the paper while you cut out a "mouth" in the container.

Using regular ol' white glue, adhere the paper to the container. I stuck on one edge first, put some glue around the mouth, then wrapped the paper around, finishing by gluing the other end.

I just made a hole in the paper where the mouth was, then folded the paper back and into the container. I didn't bother gluing it, but you can if you want to. Attach googly eyes to complete the face. I made two holes in the lid, and weaved some yarn (about 8 inches) through the holes so that the ends were coming out the top. Take a long piece of yarn and fold in half multiple times, until you end up with a little bundle that is about 6 inches long. Center the bundle on top of the lid and use the long strands weaved through the lid to securely tie the bundle to the top. Then cut the loops so that all the strands are equal length, and trim the ends of the long strands too.

Make circles that will fit into the mouth and container. Label them 0-10 (or whatever numbers you want to work on, or letters if you want to do that instead).

While I was making the number cookies, my daughter decorated her monster with foam number stickers.

Now we're ready to work on numbers! Method 1: Ask your child to pick up a specific number. Help them find it if they are having trouble. Have them repeat the number to you, then let them feed it to the monster. Method 2: Have your child pick up a number. Ask them what number it is; help them if they are having trouble. Have them repeat the number, then feed it to the monster. If you think of other methods, let me know!

Bonus activity: Let your child be a number cookie monster too! Cut out sugar cookies in the shapes of numbers (or decorate them with the numbers on top), and use the same methods as above before allowing your little cookie monster to eat his/her own cookie!