HiHo! Cherry-O Inspired Game Night

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Game night is a fun way for preschoolers to learn taking turns and build mathematics foundations.  HiHo! Cherry-O! is a favorite with my family.  We extended the game into an evening of fun and learning with fine motor, mathematics, and literacy connections.  Yes, at in our household, we make everyday activities, learning opportunities.  A big thanks to Kelli for inviting me to share our  HiHo! Cherry-O! Game night festivities with you.  I’d love to have you come visit us at The Educators’ Spin On It for more learning activities too!

Hi-Ho! Cherry-O Inspired Game Night

By Amanda Boyarshinov

Don’t have the game?  You can get it on Amazon: Hi Ho Cherry-O

Fine Motor

Preschoolers need many opportunities to build their hand strength and hand-eye coordination.  The game Hi-Ho! Cherry-O! game allows children to manipulate tiny berries, but we took it a step further and added some squish-ability to the night with a batch of fresh made playdough.  Playdough is great for manipulation and it can be rolled, smooshed, and smashed into round cherries. I sent my kiddos outside to collect some small sticks for the stems, so we snuck in a little outdoor adventure as well.

Mathematics

Learning to count, addition, and subtraction are all components of   HiHo! Cherry-O! The kids put on (add) or take off (subtract) the number of fruit from the tree depending on what they spin during their turn.  We added the operation symbol and number to the spinner so our kids would have this number sense connection.    I also have the winner count the number of berries they have on their tree before the game ends as another way to work math into our game night.

Literacy

Before, after, or between games, we like to add in fun snacks, mini dance parties, and even literacy.  I believe the more you can make learning fun, the more our kids will have fun learning.  Since my 4 year old is working on connecting the actual number to the amount of objects it represents (number sense) we made a HiHo! Cheerio! book with numbers.  You can focus yours on learning to read number words, addition, subtraction, or counting depending on your child’s needs.

How to Make a Cherry Counting Book

Materials for Your Cherry Counting Book:

• Dot Marker
• Pens or marker
• Paper
• Stapler to bind the book.

Directions for Your Cherry Counting Book:

1. Cut 3 computer sheets of paper in half.
2. Write the sentence at the top of the paper.
3. Have your child stamp the cherries with a dot marker and draw the stems with a marker.  Encourage them to count as they do this.
4. Make each page with a different number.
5. Assemble the book with a construction paper cover and staple the sides.
6. Read and count together!

Happy Game Night!  Which game is your family favorite?

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