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5 Learning Activities Using Uno Cards

(Please note Amazon links are affiliate links. Gotta keep the kids in science supplies.)

I love doing learning activities with my kids, but I hate having to spend a lot of time or money getting supplies together.  So I usually try to just look around the house and grab whatever I can to put to use.  We love games in our house, and I have found that Uno Cards are a great set of cards to use for learning activities!  They have big, easy to read numbers, bright colors, and can be sorted in all different ways.

Learning Numbers

The big numbers help with learning the numbers themselves.  First I would hold up a card and Ben would tell me the number on it.  Next, we worked on knowing the numbers in context.  I would scramble them up and let Ben put them in order.

These are instant flashcards if you find your child is having a hard time with specific numbers.  Think 6 and 9.  They look the same, just flipped.  These cards have a line to show which way they are meant to go, making it easy to show the difference between the two.

Number Sense

There is more to understanding numbers than just knowing what they are.  We need to know how they relate to each other.  To work on number sense we would play bigger or smaller.  I would put out two cards and have Ben point to the bigger number and then the smaller number. (Learn why number sense is so important and get more fun activities—> Why Number Sense Matters)

Color and Number Sorting

The different colors are great for practicing sorting.  When we first did this activity I stuck to two colors.  As we did it more and more I added in one more, and then finally the fourth.  I spread out a bunch of cards and have Ben sort them by color.  Recognizing how to put items into groups based on similar characteristics is an important skill.

Another way to sort the cards is by number.  I found this one is a bit trickier, as it is easy to get distracted by color.  Fortunately, each color has two of each number.  We started with just one color and paired up the same numbers.  Then just like with sorting by color, we added in another number, then another. (Do your kids love colors? Get more fun color activities—> How Does Color Work? Color STEM Activities for Kids)

Observation Skills

We worked on observation skills.  I put out groups of cards and asked what they had about them that was same and what was different.  To make this easier to start I would put out all one color except one card.  For example, all green cards but one red.  Then I would ask Ben which card was different.  After getting that down I would have two different colors.  We would continue adding in colors and numbers, talking about what was the same and different in each group.

Memory Skills

As a kid, I loved those memory games.  You put all the cards out upside down and took turns flipping two at a time hoping to find pairs.  Well, we don’t need to buy an extra game.  You can play with the Uno cards!  Make sure you have two of each number and color.  Then shuffle them up and lay them out upside down.  Take turns flipping two cards at a time until you find all the pairs.  I like doing it this way because you can start small.  We did it with just two pairs at first.  If you have a child that gets easily frustrated this can help build patience and confidence with the game.

Really your imagination and child’s interest are the limits for what you can do with these.  As your children get older you can play the game, so even if you don’t have these cards already they are a good investment.  (Regular playing cards can work for many of these activities too.  However, I found the symbols distracting, and Uno cards have more colors.)  Even as an adult we enjoy this game, so it is a good investment for future family fun.

Teach your toddler and preschooler number sense, counting, sorting, colors, and more with just Uno Cards. Easy and fun learning. #toddlerlearning #preschoollearning #coloractivity #sortingactivity #numbersense #countingactivity #easytoddleractivity #easypreschoolactivity #nomesslearning #noprepnumberactivity #homeschooltoddler #preschoolathome Team-Cartwright.com
Want some easy no fuss learning activities for your children? Grab some Uno cards! Here are 5 learning activities using Uno cards. #preschool #toddler #learningactivity

Helping our children to learn doesn’t have to be a chore.  And it certainly doesn’t require a ton of supplies or set up.  Just take a look around and use what you have.  Your child’s imagination is the limit.

If you don’t have Uno, you should totally get it!  It’s a fun easy game for the whole family.

If you liked these fun and easy learning activities, check out these fun and fast STEM projects:

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Easy Preschool Science {Vol. 2}: Making Plastic, No Mess Volcano, Lava Lamp Bottles

Want some easy no fuss learning activities for your children? Grab some Uno cards! Here are 5 learning activities using Uno cards. #preschool #toddler #learningactivity
Grab some Uno Cards and let's play! These cards are great for playing matching, sorting, and memory games with toddlers and preschoolers. And all these games promote number sense! These are super easy no prep activities you can do right now. #learning #game #Number #sense #STEM #toddler #preschooler #kid #counting #sorting #matching #memory #games Team-Cartwright.com
Teach observation and sorting skills with a simple DIY memory game! Grab some cards and do this easy learning activity with your toddler or preschooler. #LearningActivity #MemoryGame #ToddlerLearning #PreschoolLearning #ObservationSkills #SortingSkills #DIYLearning #homeschool Team-Cartwright.com
Learning games using Uno Cards for kids

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thara

Wednesday 3rd of June 2020

Wow that is clever. A great set of educational activities. I have a set of numbered uno cards (I own the original version only) in a drawer in my bedroom. I used them to teach my twin son and daughter about colours and numbers too. It is officially one of the cheapest teaching tools that I have ever purchased online seriously as well. My mom and I often played a game of easy UNO with each other years before in addition. She used the game to teach me about the importance of taking turns and developing patience too. Additionally I was taught about numbers and colours. My mom would sort all the playing cards according to a number or colour. Then she asked me to point to the number or tell her the colour or number on the card. She then got me to add one or two small numbers up correctly and say the right answer out loud to her. Another of her educational games involved me tracing the number on one of the cards with my finger. Or she would quickly show me a card then flip it over and have me say the correct colour or number in a whisper. This is a easy English homework task or project more than anything however. I once researched the history of this popular well known card game online on Wikipedia and had to make a few brief short notes using a notebook. After that I carefully typed up a short mini essay on a Word document. She finally checked it for any mistakes. I even had to proofread my essay.

Nicky | HypeGirls

Friday 20th of October 2017

So funny you wrote about this because this is exactly what I did with my uno cards! Seriously the cheapest learning tool I have ever bought. Love this breakdown, thank you for sharing!

Nicole Kamai

Wednesday 18th of October 2017

I totally need to do this with my son. First I need to go get UNO cards!!

Rachel

Tuesday 17th of October 2017

I always liked uno when I was younger because it let me show off all my knowledge of counting and matching.

amber battishill

Tuesday 17th of October 2017

So many fun and great learning ideas. I would have never thought about using these cards, but I definitely will now!

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