This all began with a package of stacking cups that came from a fast food kids meal (yes, my kids have the occasional fast food kids meal). They were marketed as Minute to Win It toys and we spent many days setting the timer to see how quickly they could stack the cups. Before I knew it, I had tons of ideas for minute challenges.
Here are a few we have done:
- write the alphabet
- write as many numbers as you can in numerical order
- can you complete a 1-100 dot to dot in one minute
- how many crayons can you line up in one minute
- how many math problems can you complete in one minute
- can you make your bed in less than one minute
- how many jumping jacks can you do in one minute
- how many of your favorite things can you write in a list in one minute
- how many blocks, candies, cups, etc. can you stack in one minute
This has been a great way to motivate C and R to do things they don't really want to do, but it has also been a fun way to sneak in a tiny bit of learning one minute at a time. As long as you have a timer or stop watch, you can do this anywhere. Sometimes C and R have the same challenge, but often they are working on different minute challenges, and they love to repeat challenges to see if they can improve their scores.
I also want to mention that I think this is a great way to make the clock your friend, and gain confidence in yourself when it comes to a timed activity. There will be many timed tests in school, and activities like this help to take away some of the timer anxiety.
