Lynn created these bugs for this preschool game.
This is a strategy game. The goal is to smash the last bug in the game. There is one row each of seven, five, three and one bugs. When it is his turn, a child may choose to smash one, two or three bugs, but they MUST be in the SAME row. The child who smashes the last bug wins.
In order to encourage the children to slow down and think, they are required to call out how many bugs they will smash before they begin smashing. Some children will call out “three!” when there are only one or two bugs left in each row. When this happens, I advise them to look at the board and add, “Are there three bugs left in any of the rows?”
This game is meant for two players, and that is how we will play it now that the children can remember the rules.
Some children will begin to naturally form strategies on their own. Others can be encouraged to think ahead with questioning. What will happen if you smash two bugs? What do you think Michael (the opponent) will do next if you smash THREE bugs?
After we finished playing the game, each child was rewarded with a creepy-crawly.
I can not overstate how important it is to expose these children to as many areas of mathematical thought and problem solving as possible. Some children will just enjoy playing the game, and that’s fine, too. They will develop strategies in their own time.
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