It’s a great way for preschool or kindergarten students to work on counting and identifying numbers to ten while working with ten frames.

Getting Ready

This ten frame activity is a cinch to prep and is easily reusable!

I simply printed out the ten frame cards and laminated them so that I could reuse them year after year.

Then, I printed out enough copies of the record sheet for my students to each have one.

I placed the sheets, along with some crayons, in a bin on our math center shelves.

Viola! We had a new math center ready to go.

Raindrop Ten Frame Counting Activity

This activity works on subitizing (recognizing sets instantly without counting), ten frame recognition and number recognition.

It’s perfect for Pre-K students and for a review in kindergarten if students need some more ten frame practice in the spring.

We first picked a ten frame card and counted the raindrops. Many of the students in my small group were able to quickly subitize the total:

“There is one missing, so there are 9!” 

Once we knew how many raindrops were in the ten frame, we searched for the umbrella with that numeral on the recording sheet and colored it.

We kept pulling ten frame cards, counting raindrops and coloring umbrellas until we had found the umbrellas for all of the numbers 1 to 10!  This ten frame activity was the perfect way to spend a rainy day!

Grab Your Download

Ready for some rainy day fun? Click the blue download button below to grab your copy of the raindrop ten frame counting center and then hop over to find out how to make a cloud in a jar!

The post Raindrop Ten Frame Counting Activity appeared first on The Stem Laboratory.

Hop below and download the free printable and then leap over and pick up our flower symmetry sheets, too!

Getting Ready

To prep this number word activity, I printed the cards on cardstock and laminated them for durability to use year after year.

The cards will print two sets to a page to make nice, big pieces for little hands to hold.

I cut the pieces into squares to save time, but they would be super cute cut out along the black lines, too!

Number Word Match Up Activity

To start the activity, I had students line up the frogs in numerical order from 0-20.

Then, each child took a turn picking a lily pad word number and trying to find the frog number match.

Once each student had found the right match, we played until all the frogs had the right lily pad.

Number Word Activity Extension

When the students had gained some numerical and reading confidence, I shuffled all the cards and laid them face down.

Students then took turns picking up one card and trying to find the match. If they couldn’t remember where the other half of the match was, they had to place both cards back facedown on the table.

This classic matching game was a hit and the kids asked to play it again and again!

Grab Your Download

Ready for some ribbiting fun?! Click the blue download button below then hop over and grab some Farm Animal Puzzles!

The post Frog Number Word Match Up appeared first on The Stem Laboratory.

Snag your set below and then hop over and grab the jam-packed Winter Activity Pack in our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers – it’s bursting with playful and hands-on math and literacy centers your kids will LOVE.

Getting Ready

Prep for these write and wipe numbers cards was super simple!  I printed all the number cards on cardstock for extra durability.  Then, I slid the cards through the laminator so that I could have students write on them with a dry erase marker.

After laminating, I quickly cut them up and we were ready to go!

Write and Wipe Numbers

To start, students pulled one write and wipe number card out of the pile.  They placed the card in front of them and pointed and said each number out loud.

For example, one student said, “0, blank, 2.”

Using his number knowledge, he was able to determine that the missing number was 1 and wrote it in the correct space on his card with the black dry erase marker.

After checking his counting, he moved on to the next write and wipe number card.

Differentiation with Write and Wipe Numbers

Some students in your class might be ready for an extra challenge.  If so, have them do the activity in order instead of choosing random cards.  Or rather, have them put the write and wipe number cards in order once they’re finished.

All numbers from 0-20 are included in this write and wipe number activity, so it was perfect for number review at math centers this winter!

Grab Your Download

Snag your set below and then hop over and grab the jam-packed Winter Activity Pack in our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers – it’s bursting with playful and hands-on math and literacy centers your kids will LOVE.

The post Penguin Write and Wipe Numbers appeared first on The Stem Laboratory.

Scroll below to grab your freebie and then make sure to hop over and snag all of our winter math centers!

Getting the Counting Mats Ready

To prep the activity, I printed off the counting mats and slipped them through the laminator.

For the icy counters, I grabbed these blue glass beads I picked up from the Dollar Store. After all of the materials were gathered, we were ready to jump in and play.

Winter Counting Mats

I left the activity open-ended for the children to explore and practice numbers.

As a result, the students were left to get creative and innovative on their own! It was very interesting to watch what some of the children did with their counting mats.

For instance, a few kids placed the counters in the tens frames from left to right and traced over the words with their marker.

Some placed the counters on the snowmen’s mittens and counted those instead. I suggested placing the same counters in the ten frame to see what that looked like.

Some children even placed the counters around the number and word!

I loved that they were practicing the formation of each number and letter and were continuing to work on their pincer grip when they picked up the beads!

For the children who completed the counting mats with ease, I encouraged them to find different ways to show each number on the ten frame.

The extra step was such an easy way to stretch the activity for kids who were ready for a challenge and help them solidify the skill of subsidizing numbers.

Variations with Counting Mats

To switch up the activity a bit, you could use white or blue playdough and have children roll “snowballs” for counting in the ten frames.

Buttons or any other loose parts would also be really engaging!

For a fun twist, you could have children roll a dice, count the dots that land on top and grab the matching mat. After all, more number practice means more future mathematicians!

Grab Your Download

Snag your set below and then hop over and grab the jam-packed Winter Activity Pack in our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers – it’s bursting with playful and hands-on math and literacy centers your kids will LOVE.

The post Winter Counting Mats appeared first on The Stem Laboratory.