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Celebrations · The activity desk

Día de Muertos marigold count

Draw and count marigolds in groups from one to five.

Let's play →

A little plan for play

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What you need

Paper and large child-appropriate crayons

Age: 3–5 years; choose for the individual child.

Stay with the child throughout. Check the space and supplies, including anything within reach of younger siblings. Skip any activity that is unsuitable. Stop if a child puts non-food material in their mouth or becomes distressed. Use intact books, full sheets of paper, a large child-appropriate crayon and a clean, dry towel. Follow product labels; remove torn paper and keep broken crayons and caps away from children. Adult handles and stores supplies.

Set up: Draw five large boxes and label them 1 through 5.

Adult's role: Explain that some families use marigolds for Día de Muertos to remember loved ones. Help count and draw without requiring a personal story.

Let's make it happen

  1. Draw one flower in the box labeled 1, then point to it and say one.
  2. Draw two flowers in the next box. Continue adding the matching number of flowers to the remaining boxes.
  3. Count each group together and color the flowers. Notice which box has more or fewer.

Make it simpler: Use the first two boxes and draw dots for flowers.

Clean up: Put paper and crayons away.

Use intact crayons suitable for your child and stay nearby.

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