Getting Ready

To prep the activity, I printed all of the pages on cardstock and laminated them for durability.

Then I cut out each card and put them in a pile.

I also gathered the extra supplies students would need to complete the cards: dry erase markers and building manipulatives. I used playdough and mini erasers for students to build each number, but you could also use LEGOS, unifix cubes or pom poms!

Apple Tree Counting Cards

The first time through, I used the cards with a small group of students at my teacher table so I could easily check for understanding.

Working our way around the table, students took turns picking a card from the pile.

The first child chose the number four. She counted the apples in the tree.

Then she used mini erasers to build the number 4.

Next, she practiced writing the number using a dry erase marker.

When she finished, she cleaned off her card, and put it back in the pile for the next person!

A few days later, we pulled out the cards again! This time we practiced using the cards with squishy playdough (always a kid favorite!).

Students loved getting to make playdough balls to show each number on their cards and I loved that they were getting extra number practice!

Grab Your Download

Ready to try these fun counting cards with your students? Scroll below and click on the blue download button to grab your freebie!

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Snag your set below and then hop over and grab our best selling Number Formation Sheets in our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers!

Getting Ready

To prep, I printed the two sets of cards (one with chocolate chip cookies and a second with milk glasses) on card stock to give them extra durability.

Then, I copied one count and color record sheet for each child and grabbed our crayons.

Voila! We were ready to play.

(See?! I promised you it was easy to prep!)

Match Up

First up in our cookie counting games?  Match Up!  Little Sister (age 4) has been working hard to learn the numbers 0 to 10, so she was eager to get started.

I knew that handing her all of the numbers at once would be too overwhelming, so I split them into smaller batches.

The first group had the numbers 0 to 2.

I laid out the milk glasses in numerical order and invited Little Sister to place the matching cookie above each glass.

When she was finished, I handed her the next batch of numbers from 3 to 5… then 6 to 8… and finally 9 to 10.

With a solid review under her belt, she was ready to jump in and start playing.

We mixed up the cards and spread them out face down on the table so we could play a round of Memory.

Then, we took turns flipping over two cards, reading the number written on the glass and counting the number of chocolate chips on the cookie.

Little Sister’s first flip was a match. She took the pair of twos and added them to her keep pile.

But on my turn, I flipped over a seven and three. Since they didn’t match, I turned them back over and lost my turn.

Once we’d worked our way through the matches, we each counted the number of pairs in our keep piles and figured out who had the most.

Little Sister was the big winner!

Count and Color

The next day, we pulled out the cookie cards again for another round of practice.

This time, Little Sister took the first cookie from the pile and counted the number of chocolate chips.

Then, she found the cookie with the matching number and colored it brown.

One cookie after the next, she counted and colored until all of her cookies were brown.

Our cookie counting games were such a motivating way to work on counting and number recognition from 0 to 10!

Snag Your Set

Click the blue button below and then hop over and grab our best selling Number Formation Sheets in our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers!

The post Cookie Counting Games appeared first on The Stem Laboratory.

Scroll down to grab your counting freebie and then hop over and grab our Number Activity Mats in for more hands-on math fun.

Getting Ready

To prep , I printed the cards on cardstock and laminated them for durability.

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

After slicing them up with my paper cutter, my cards were ready to go!

Summer Counting Cards

To start the activity, I had students line up the number cards so we could review numbers 1 to 10 together.

We pointed to each card as we said the numbers aloud.

Then, each child took a turn picking a picture card.

The first child chose the crab card.

She pointed at each crab as she counted out loud:

“1… 2… 3… 4… 5!  5 red crabs.”

Then, she looked through the number cards to find the number five and placed it in the box on the crab card.

We continued going in a circle until each child had a turn to pick a card, count and then place the correct number card on the picture.

Counting Cards Extension Activities

After I introduced the cards to all of my students, I placed them in our math centers for some extra practice.

Students then had the choice of using the number cards, dry erase marker, or cubes to represent their numbers!

Grab Your Set

Are you ready to dream about some summer fun while in your classroom?

Scroll down and click the blue button to snag your free summer counting set. Then, make sure to hop over and grab our engaging Number Formation Pack in our store or on Teachers Pay Teachers.

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Children will love solving the challenge cards and then coloring the pattern. They can even stretch their brains and create their own counting bear patterns for friends to solve when they’re finished!

Snag your set below and then hop over and join The Plato Pack to get a mega pack of pattern activities your students will beg to repeat!

Getting Ready

To prep the activity, I simply printed the pattern cards (below) on card stock to make them durable and cut along the grey lines to separate them into strips.

Although I decided not to laminate the set this time around, I would recommend doing that if you’ll be using the cards in a classroom. Laminating adds an extra layer of durability.

Solving the Pattern Cards

Little Sister (age 3) had just finished using our counting bears to practice the numbers 1 to 12, so she was eager to pull them out again for another math challenge.

She grabbed the first strip in the pile and read the colors out loud:

“Red – blue – yellow – red – blue…”

When she got to the empty box she immediately recognized the next color in the sequence.

She grabbed a yellow bear and placed it in the square.

Then she started at the beginning of the pattern card and read through the sequence again, adding the missing red bear at the end.

With her pattern now complete, I handed her the record sheet and challenged her to color the same pattern with crayons.

Little Sister happily colored the first line and then grabbed the next card in the batch – a fun AB pattern.

Snag Your Set

Click the blue download button below to jump into pattern practice and then hop over and join The Plato Pack to get a mega pack of pattern activities your students will beg to repeat!

The post Counting Bear Pattern Cards 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

This fun counting game is fairly quick to prep and hardly uses any printer ink!

I printed one set of the snowflake cards (you may want to print more depending on how many kids will be playing) and ran them through the laminator to make them durable enough for easy reuse.

Then I ran off one copy of the recording sheet for each student along with a few extras since kids often want to play the games more than once. Extra practice is always fine by me!

Snowflake Counting Game

This game was a fun addition to our math centers and was instantly a hit. Students were excited to settle in and get ready to count up some snowflakes!

First, we picked up a card and counted the snowflakes on it. Some kids were able to subitize the amount (recognize how many instantly without counting), while others needed to count one-by-one. Either way, we were making great progress.

Once we figured out how many snowflakes were on the card, we searched for the matching number on a mitten. (When it snows, we need our mittens!)

We counted 1, 2, 3 snowflakes, so we searched, found, and colored the mitten with the number 3 written on it.

Then, we picked up our next card, counted the snowflakes, and colored the matching mitten on our recording sheet: a two!

We continued flipping, counting, and coloring until our sheet was complete.

Grab Your Download

Ready to play this fun winter math game with your own kids?  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, hands-on math and literacy centers your kids will LOVE.

The post Snowflake Counting Game 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

This versatile activity can be used in multiple ways!

To prep, I printed the cards on cardstock for durability, laminated and then cut them out.

Next, I took a moment to think about how I wanted my students to show the number in the ten frame on the mat.

I decided to let them roll the playdough into little balls to put in the ten frame this time around, but you could also have students make dots with a dry erase marker or even use fun erasers or counters!

Then, I grabbed a dry erase marker and eraser for each set so children could practice writing the number on the printing lines and we were ready to play.

Mitten Counting Mats

I first played this game with my students in a small group to make sure that they knew exactly what to do.

Each student picked a counting mat from a basket and counted the yellow dots on the mitten to figure out what number they were working on.  In the example below, the child picked the number eight.

Next, she needed to show that number in the ten frame, so she rolled eight balls of playdough and placed each one in a box.

(If you’re short on time, students can draw the dots with a dry erase marker instead.)

Then, she looked through the number cards to find the matching mitten.

Finally, she used her dry erase marker to practice writing that number on the two printing lines at the bottom of the card.

One card after the next, students worked their way through the stack.

When they finished, the children erased their card, cleaned up the playdough and put their counting mats back in the basket for the next group to use.

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 Mitten Counting Mats 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.

They’re also the perfect compliment to our best-selling playdough mats!

Getting Ready

To prep, I simply printed the monster counting mats on cardstock to give them extra durability. Likewise, if you’re planning to use them in the classroom, laminating them is a great idea.

I grabbed a small bowl of googly eyes and a second bowl with Cheerios kids could use for counting chips. (Goldfish, playdough balls or pom poms would work as monster snacks, too.)

Then, I called Little Sister (age 4) over to join me!

Monster Counting Mats

The activity was pretty self explanatory, so Little Sister settled into the routine quickly.

She read the number in the upper righthand corner of the mat and then grabbed a matching number of eyes from the bowl: one eye for the number one mat.

Then, she fed the monster one Cheerio as a snack.

Little Sister set the one card to the side and grabbed the next batch in the pile: two!

One number after the next, Little Sister happily counted out googly eyes and monster sized snacks on each mat.  It was so much fun!  Above all, she gained a better understanding of her numbers.

Grab Your Set

Have a monster fan too? Find more playful monster activities to add to your must-try list below and then click the blue “Download Here” button to get your free monster counting mats.

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:

Feed the Monster Alphabet Match // Sara J Creations

Monster Alphabet Playdough Mats // Modern Preschool

Monster Counting Cards // Miss Kindergarten

Monster Math Addition Clip Cards // The Kindergarten Connection

Monster Counting Mats // The STEM Laboratory

Monster Measurement Cards // Fairy Poppins

Monster Alphabet Game // Stay at Home Educator

Felt Monsters Busy Box // Teach Me Mommy

Monster Letter Match // Schooling a Monkey

Monster Snowball Coverall // Recipe for Teaching

Snow Monster Addition Puzzles // The Simplified Classroom

Monster Shape Graphs // Playdough to Plato

Slime Monster Counting Activity // Fun-A-Day

Name the Monster Phonics Game // Play & Learn Every Day

Monster Counting Emergent Reader // A Dab of Glue Will Do

Color Monsters Write the Room // Letters of Literacy

Monster Truck Numbers: Bigger and Smaller // Liz’s Early Learning Spot

Monster Creation Tray // Powerful Mothering

Monster Feelings Match Up // Pocket of Preschool

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

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Getting Ready

Prepping the activity was quick and easy. I printed the cards (below) on cardstock to give them extra durability and laminated them so they would hold up for reuse.

Then I cut apart the cards and grabbed a bag of penguin snacks (a.k.a. goldfish crackers) to use as counters.

Counting Cards

When the activity was ready, I invited Middle Brother (age 4) over to join me. I wanted to reinforce number names with him so I handed him the one card and had him place one fish in the top left box of the ten frame.

One card after the next, he read the number and added that many goldfish.

Then we laid the cards in a straight line from smallest to biggest so he could gain practice with comparison, more than and less than.  These penguin counting cards were the perfect way for him to practice numbers!

Ten Frames

Seeing numbers in ten frames helps kids get ready to subitize – or instantly recognize how many – later.

When Middle Brother is ready, I’ll show him how he can look at the ten frame filled with 5 goldfish and instantly know that it has 5 without needing to count them out one-by-one.

Similarly, for the number ten, he’ll know that he can put that top row of 5 in his head and skip count 5 more to get 10. So a full ten frame will always have ten objects.

It’s a helpful shortcut and a great step toward adding!

Extension Activities

Although Middle Brother wasn’t ready for subitizing, he was ready to work on beginning addition and subtraction.

I placed three fish on the 5 sorting mat and asked him how many more fish he needed to add to the ten frame to make it five.

He confidently grabbed two more crackers and placed them in the top row.

We practiced a few more addition problems and then switched gears to work on subtraction.

I placed the 3 mat in front of him and filled the ten frame with seven fish. Then I asked how many fish he needed to take away to make the ten frame match the number. He happily removed four fish.

Ready to Play?!

Grab your batch of penguin counting cards (below) and then hop over and download our free Winter Mitten Match Up too!

The post Penguin Counting Cards appeared first on The Stem Laboratory.