#09 For All Ages

For All Ages

Grown-ups: Observe kids growing their math eyes as they notice more and more key points, angles, symmetries, quantities, and other mathematical features. Pay attention to these features yourself when it is your turn to see something in the doodle, say their names out loud, and otherwise encourage looking for properties.

Babies: Parents can play this game by themselves and give the resulting paper toys to the baby. You can use the cutouts to make a mobile or a garland. A version for babies who can point or use signs: have a lot of pictures of toys, animals, and so on shown at once, and invite the baby to point or put the doodle next to the object it resembles.

Toddlers and Young Kids: Toddlers will be more successful drawing on large sheets of paper. Many toddlers can see animals, houses, cars, or other familiar shapes in clouds, tree bark, or abstract rug designs. Help toddlers add more details to their scribbles until something familiar emerges.

Big Kids: It’s better to play the game quickly until you create many examples. Only through many examples do children develop property-noticing strategies. However, some older kids may want to tinker with a shape they particularly like, turning it into a more polished project, such as the Japanese art of Notan (positive-negative space).