maths: recognising numerals, counting using 1:1 correspondence, sorting and matching by colour, counting up to 10 and beyond.

motor skills: using control and precision to pick up and drop small materials, pincer grasp, hand/eye co-ordination.

Ask an adult to take four 1 litre sized water bottles and cut a hole near the bottom of each, leaving a little lip so that pom poms won’t fall out when dropped in. Paint a thin band of colour around each one, using acrylic paint, which adheres well to plastic. You could also just tie around a coloured pipe cleaner, or a strip of coloured paper.

Next, an adult needs to use a dry-wipe pen to write a number on the front of each one and then set out a large basket filled with pom poms in the corresponding colours to the bottles, as an Invitation to Play.

When it’s time to write new numbers, the pen easily wipes off with a dry cloth and the bottles can be re-used indefinitely.