5 Educational Activities using GOOD LUCK MINIS!

I don’t know what it is about tiny objects that fascinates both children and adults, but the second my little ones spotted Safari’s Good Luck Minis it was GAME OVER.

Smaller Figurines Incite Attention To Detail

The first thing I noticed was how intently my kids played with the minis. Because they are so tiny, they really had to slow down to examine and admire all the detail. They also had to be meticulous when it came to moving and staging them. While these are awesome for imaginative and open-ended play, my first thought as a former teacher was how versatile these are to teach educational skills.

Back in my day we had two-sided, circular yellow and red counters that we used as our math manipulatives. It was always a treat to be able to learn using something other than a pencil and a paper, so why not take it up a notch for our kids learning experience?

Here are some easy you can use these Good Luck Minis to teach important educational skills.

Counting Cards

Counting cards is exactly what it sounds like. Using a regular deck of cards, separate the number cards from the face cards. Have your child draw one card at a time from the deck. Depending on your child’s age and abilities, you can have them tell you the number that is on the card or read the number to them. Have your child use the Good Luck Mini’s as counters.

They can place one mini on each symbol on the given card. Until the number of minis matches the number of the card. This will help your child with number recognition and counting skills. You can even practice their sequencing skills by having them slide the cards into place in number order. To make this a bit more difficult you can use Uno cards which only have the number written on it, not the corresponding number of symbols.

Sorting Animals

Sorting is a concept that has most likely been introduced to your child in one way or another. If they’ve seen you putting away the dishes or folding laundry, they have witnessed you sorting things based off of certain characteristics.

Good Luck mini’s come in a variety of figurines. They can be sorted by color, animal type, physical features, where they live, what sounds they make and so on and so on. You can use a muffin tin to help your child sort the different groups. Sorting helps your child develop their logical thinking. They are able to identify similarities and differences between things. While 2 animals may be different in one aspect, they can be similar in another.

Patterns

Patterns are one of the more difficult concepts for preschoolers to master. They are also my favorite! It’s a good idea to practice similarities and differences and sorting before getting to patterns.

You can practice simple patterns first and then move on to longer, more difficult ones. For example, stick to two animal types at first and then add in more. Then you can switch from patterns based on obvious characteristics to more difficult ones. To give your child a better visual you can use an ice tray or an egg carton and place the minis inside the divots following the pattern.

Tracing Shapes

You can teach so many concepts when dealing with shapes. Recognizing shapes, lines, corners and angles can all be taught using shapes. For this activity you can draw shapes on paper for your child to “trace” using the minis. Let them place figurines one at a time while they outline the shape. This activity helps your child develop their fine motor skills. To take this up a notch you can give them plastic toy tweezers to use in place of their fingers.

Scoop & Count

The scoop and count game is another way to practice fine motor skills. You can place your good luck minis (bulk bag link) into a small container. Provide your child with different instruments they can use to scoop some minis out and onto another surface. Have them count out loud the minis that they removed from the container. This is a Montessori themed activity that teaches foundational counting skills along with life skills.

Children learn best when they are engaged. The soft rubbery feel and tiny size of the Good Luck Minis captures their attention. And with the blind variety pack you get an assortment of detailed figurines that will keep your child entertained for hours! These days, a pencil and paper just don’t cut it. Giving your kids manipulatives and including tactile learning in your lessons is sure to up your game.

DeAna Dunn is a former special education and science teacher turned stay-at-home mom to 3 toddlers. Living life in survival mode.