Number Recognition Game – Feed Cookie Monster

Skills: Early Math

Ages: 2 Years +

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

child posting a cardboard cookie into a cookie monster drawn on a cardboard box with a see-through belly

Make your own Feed the Cookie Monster game. It is super budget friendly and teaches number recognition while strengthening fine motor skills.

This simple activity can be customized to fit almost any child’s skill level. Even little toddlers who cannot yet count will enjoy feeding the cookie monster, which strengthens their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. Keep reading and discover how easy it is to make your very own out of some cardboard.

Number Recognition With Cookies

This is an activity that grows with your kiddos. As they touch and explore the cookies, and count the chocolate chip dots, they are seeing numbers in real life.

You can see in the video below how the older child played the activity, finding the numbers and counting the chocolate chips, whereas the toddler simply enjoyed feeding the cookie monster. There are so many other things you can do with this simple activity — simple addition and subtraction for those who are ready for it.

Here is how to make a DIY number recognition game for your kiddos. This is a basic tutorial, so please change things up and make it fit your child’s needs. For more early math activities, do not miss our comprehensive list of easy to set up, budget-friendly ideas.

If your kiddo loves this

You have to try our free printable Pizza Counting Worksheets as well as the Ice Cream Scoop Counting Worksheets.

Watch How to Make It

In this video you will see how easy it is to make this number recognition activity. Bonus points for also talking about the digestive system while playing this game, as you see the cookie monster eat the cookies and have them make their way into his tummy. You do not have to change the actual activity for toddlers or older children, just change how they interact with it.

Materials

What you need

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Draw the cookie monster

Draw Cookie Monster on top of an old box.
Cut the mouth and belly

Cut a slot within the mouth and a hole for the belly.
Line the inside with the bag

On the inside of the box, place down the plastic bag with the zipper side up, making sure it begins above the mouth and is visible within the belly.
Open the slot

Line up the plastic bag where the slot is, and cut the plastic around the slot to provide an opening for the cookies to enter.
Tape it down

Secure the plastic bag on each side with tape, and secure the plastic around the mouth with tape as well. This lets the cookies enter through the mouth and fall into the bag for a fun transparent view as well as easy retrieval.
Hang it up

Secure the cardboard box to the wall with painters tape.

Educational Benefits of This DIY Number Recognition Game

blue cardboard cookie monster box on a wall with numbered cardboard cookies one to ten beside it

There are so many educational benefits of this simple activity. It is perfect for school readiness, or to help your kiddos become more familiar with numbers.

Number recognition. When you ask them to pick up the cookie with 6 chocolate chips, they have to match the amount of dots with the number. This one simple act exercises their number recognition. It also helps them see how much 1 chocolate chip is compared to 10 chips, which is the foundation of all math skills.

Early math skills. The first is representation — making mathematics real by using pictures and objects like chocolate chips. It also teaches patterns: as they grab the next number in line, they will discover it has one more chocolate chip on the cookie.

If your child is ready for it, they can also practice early addition and subtraction. Ask them, “Grab the cookie that is the answer to 3 chocolate chips plus 1 chocolate chip!” And if you decide to make the cookie monster with the visible belly, this is a great opportunity to talk about the digestive system.