While at the children’s school I observed the kindergarten students playing a game where the were instructed to grab as many small cubes in one hand as they could and then use a sheet to count how many they grabbed. They did this 8 times to see what was the largest number they were able to grab. Despite being told what to do, the children still seemed to enjoy this activity, most likely due to the competitive aspect of trying to grab the most in one go.
This activity primarily allowed the children to practice industry as they could see their progress as they figured out how to grasp the cubes to hold even more while also comparing how much they got with how much their friends grabbed. Additionally, despite the rigid structure, the children were able to practice autonomy without feeling lost as the counting sheet was there to help them if needed but some were able to count without assistance. Initiative was strangely absent and even discouraged as when a child attempted a new idea, using both hands, he was told by a teacher to only use one hand, I assume to keep things fair between all the kids. Overall this very simple game seemed to engage the children very well, most likely due to the competitive aspect.
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