This Sandwich Shop Math Game is a fun way to practice numeral identification and counting 1-6… and it is kid-approved by the prekinders in my class. Children look at a menu and count out the correct number of sandwich pieces to build their sandwich.
To prepare the game:
You will need to print the Sandwich Shop Menus (download link below) and cut the menus in half (each page has two menus). You will need to purchase sheets of craft foam in the following colors:
- Tan or beige (bread)
- Pink (ham)
- Green (lettuce)
- Red (tomatoes)
- Orange (cheese)
Two 12×18 inch sheets in each color was enough for a small group of 6 children to use. It probably depends on how large you cut the pieces. I cut about 12 pieces from each craft foam sheet, so in all I had about 24 pieces of each kind of food.
Set up the table with stacks of menus and place the sandwich pieces (foam) in trays or baskets.
To play the game:
Have children choose a menu, identify the numerals, and count out the correct amount of sandwich pieces they will need. As they count out the pieces, they build their sandwich. Once they’ve built a sandwich, you can check it to see if they counted accurately. Then, have them put the pieces back and choose another menu. The menus have numbers 1-4, 1-5, or 1-6. This is intended to give extra practice to those children who are only counting to 4 or 5 (the number 6 is used to give them practice with the next step up).
If you have a group of children who cannot yet identify any numerals, play the game this way. Keep the stack of menus with you, and show one menu at a time. Read the menu to the children, and have all of the children in the group count out the number of pieces you call out. (Each child in the group will be making their own sandwich, using one menu.)