They’re even great for a back to school activity!

Getting Ready

These printable ten frame activities couldn’t be simpler to prepare. I printed them out and grabbed some crayons I had on hand. That’s it! I was ready for some serious ten frame fun!

Apple Ten Frames

I used the first printable in a math bin during math workshop because I knew it would take a little longer for kids to complete than the second activity.

My kindergarteners love anything that lets them color and use crayons, so they were very happy to fill in “apples” on each ten frame. They simply read the number and then used their crayons to color the ten frame to match.

We used green, red, and yellow crayons to make it even more “apple-like.”

For the second printable, I used it as a morning work activity for my students so that they could have a quick review of counting and number writing.

We work hard on number recognition, especially in the fall as school starts, so counting the apples and writing the numbers was a great opportunity for us to practice number identification, counting, one-to-one correspondence and number writing, too!

Grab Your Download

Ready to print the activity sheets for your own kids?! Grab your free copy of the apple ten frame printables by clicking the blue download button below and then hop over and snag our best -selling Number Formation Pack too!

The post Apple Ten Frame Printables appeared first on The Stem Laboratory.

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!

The post Apple Tree Counting Cards appeared first on The Stem Laboratory.

They’re perfect to use as a preschool or early kindergarten math center or story follow-up activity!

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Getting Ready

To prep, I printed the clip cards on cardstock to give them extra durability and make the colors pop. I cut along the bold black lines to separate the pieces and grabbed our bag of medium sized clothespins.

I wanted the activity to be self-check for Middle Brother so that he could work on the activity independently during quiet time. I clipped each card in the correct spot. Then, I turned the pile upside down to mark the answers with a crayon dot on the back side of every card. Now Middle Brother would be able to clip his answer and then flip over the card to see if he was correct.

Note: If you’ll be using the activity in a classroom, you may also want to laminate the cards to make them hefty enough for reuse.

Viola! The activity was ready.

Solving the Clip Cards

Middle Brother knew just what to do. He shuffled the cards and placed them in a stack. Then, he grabbed the top card in the pile and counted the number of pickles.

“Five!” he called out as he grabbed one of the clothespins and clipped the 5 to match.

One card after another, he clipped his way through the stack, flipping his cards over to check his answers when he was finished.

Grab Your Set

Ready to download your batch of Very Hungry Caterpillar Clip Cards?! Click the blue button below!

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The mats are a perfect compliment to our Number Formation Pack!

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Getting Ready

Preparing the activity mats was fairly quick and easy. I simply printed out the download (below) and laminated each page so that we could use them multiple times.

You could also slide each page into a sheet protector instead, which would work just as well.

After laminating, I grabbed some dry erase markers, playdough, and counting bears. Then, I was ready to add this fun activity to a math center for my kids!

Teen Number Activity Mats

Once the mats were ready to go and we had the supplies on hand, my small group was ready to dive in. I had several of these copies prepped for my small group so that we could each work on the same mat to start.

Teen numbers can be tricky to grasp at first, but these mats gave us an in-depth look at the numbers and hands-on ways to work with them.

We started with the number 12, as students often confuse it with the number 20. Twelve also doesn’t have that “teen” sound on the end of it, making it a little trickier to grasp than numbers 13-19.

First, we wrote the number with a dry erase marker. Kids always love using dry erase markers and are motivated to write with them.

Next, we built our number with playdough. This is typically their favorite part!

Finally, we counted the counting bears by placing our own on top for one to one correspondence.

For the twenty frames and tally marks, I chose to have them dot over them and trace over them as we counted for practice. This was especially helpful for learning how to make tally marks and cross the sets of five.

After completing the number 12, we worked on the number 20 to compare the two. Then, I put all 11-20 mats in a math center for more independent practice throughout the week.

One mat after the next, the kids worked their way through the stack.

Grab Your Set

Ready to get hands on with numbers 11-20? Grab your free copy of the number activity mats below and then snag a copy of the 1-10 set of activity mats, too!

The post Numbers 11-20 Activity Mats appeared first on The Stem Laboratory.

Grab your set below and then hop over and snag our 2D Shape Activity Pack too!

One of the ways we love to introduce shapes to our students is by having them look at the world around them for common geometric shapes. Once they are able to identity these various shapes, we like to expand their learning with a fun sorting craftivity.

Getting Started

To get started with our 2D shapes activity, we gathered:

• construction paper
• scissors
• glue stick
• shape flaps and real world objects printables
• optional: crayons and/or markers

We printed and copied the shapes printables so that each student would have a piece of construction paper and both shape sheets.

Depending on the child, you may want to pre-assemble the shapes mat with the title and various flaps already glued down.

If you use math journals, an alternative option is to glue these flaps in the journal instead of construction paper.

To adhere the flaps, apply a thin layer of glue to the top of the flap.

2D Shapes Sorting Activity

Once the mat was assembled, we had students cut out the mixed up real world objects.

Then students used the mat to sort each object onto the corresponding shape. After everything was sorted correctly, they glued each object underneath the shape flap.

For example, students glued the “button” picture under the “circle” shape flap.

They continued working until they had glued 3 objects for each shape.

Early finishers colored in their pictures and shapes in order to make their craft more visually appealing.

2D Shapes Extension Activity

With the weather being so nice this time of year, we were excited to take our students outside for a “shape nature hunt!”

It was a great extension to our sorting activity and allowed us to have a discussion together about what natural objects found in nature correspond to the shapes they have been studying.

Students could even draw and write about their findings in their math journals!

Grab Your Set

Click on the blue button below to download your free 2D shapes sort and then hop over to snag our shape task cards and pattern block mats, too!

The post 2D Shapes Sorting Activity appeared first on The Stem Laboratory.

Snag your set below and then hop over and grab our popular 3D Shape Activities in our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers!

Getting Ready

To prep, I printed off the 3D shape puzzles, ran them through the laminator and cut out the individual puzzle pieces.

I like to laminate when I’m using an activity in the classroom because it makes the parts extra durable.  Plus, it allows me to use them again year after year.

Tip: I chose to make the puzzles normal-size, but you could print the pieces extra large and use them as a whole-class matching game.

3D Shape Puzzles

Working with a small group of students, I placed the square-based pyramid label in the center of the table.  I explained that students would need to find three bottom pieces that fit with it:

• a line drawing of the shape
• a count of its faces, vertices and edges
• a real world object that matched

The kids were eager to get started, so they quickly found the line drawing and slid it into the first spot.

To help them figure out how many faces, vertices and edges it had, I gave them a square-based pyramid model that we had in our set of 3D shapes.  Then, I had them count each characteristic.

Then, they found the matching piece and placed that in the next spot on our puzzle.

With just one piece left to go in our 3D shapes puzzle, I challenged them to think of a few real world objects that were square-based pyramids. It was a stretch, but one child remembered seeing a picture of the Louvre Pyramid in a book.  Another student excitedly recalled the Egyptian Pyramids.

Voila! It was a match.

The children continued working their way through the puzzles until all pieces had been matched.

Grab Your Download

Ready for some fun 3D learning? Click on the blue button below for your free download and then hop over and grab our popular 3D Shape Activity Pack in our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers!

The post 3D Shape Puzzles appeared first on The Stem Laboratory.

They’re the perfect addition to any preschool or kindergarten math lesson.

Getting Ready

Preparing the number activity mats is as easy as they come. I simply printed the download (below) and then laminated it for repeated use. You could also place the pages inside sheet protectors since dry erase markers work well on them too.

After laminating, I grabbed some play dough, dry erase markers and counting bears. Then, I was ready to introduce the mats to my kids!

Number Activity Mats

Once the mats were ready to go and we had our supplies, we picked a number to work with first. Since this wasn’t my students’ first time practicing the numbers 1 to 10, I let them tackle all of the mats at once. However, you may choose to work on them slowly, starting with the number one, for younger learners.

Each kid worked with a different mat and I offered support as needed. The great thing about these mats is that once you explain the activities, each mat is the same so that kids can be independent with them.

First, we wrote our number with a dry erase marker. If you use number formation poems or songs, you can chant or sing them while you write to make it even more fun!

Next, we built our number with playdough – this was one of our favorite parts!

Finally, we counted out the corresponding number of counting bears.  So many options with these number activity mats!

For the ten frames and tally marks, you can choose to just talk about them or you can have your kids trace them. I find that having them go over them with the marker is helpful, especially for learning how to form tally marks.

My kids love these mats, and I love that they can feel successful learning about their numbers!

Grab Your Set

Are you ready to get hands-on with the numbers 1-10? Grab your free copy of the number activity mats below and then snag a copy of our favorite number formation rhymes and activity sheets!

The post Numbers 1-10 Activity Mats 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.

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

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.

Then hop over and snag our best selling number formation pack from our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers for even more fun!

Getting Ready

To prep the number game, I printed my playdough number mats and matching cards on cardstock and laminated them for durability.

Using scissors, I cut down the black lines on the cards and sorted them by category. I placed all the ten frames cards in a pile and all the numbers cards in a second pile.

We were ready to begin!

Playdough Number Games

In our small group, I laid out the number cards face up on a table for visibility and made a stack of the 10 frame cards face down to create a drawing deck.

The first student drew a card from the deck and counted the dots on the ten frame.

She determined it was a nine, so she scanned all the numbers face up on the table looking for a match.

When she discovered the whole number 9 card, she placed the match together at the side of the table.

Then, we went in a circle and students took turns pulling a ten frame card from the deck and counting the dots to identify the number.

After we practiced matching all of the numbers, I passed out a playdough mat and tub of playdough to each student.  It was time for a new number game!

I mixed up the number cards and placed them face down on the table.

Each child drew a card, said the number out loud and created its value on the mat using playdough.  

Grab Your Download

Ready to get your hands on these playdough number mats so you can playful practice numbers too? Scroll below and click the blue button to download your freebie!

Then hop over and snag our best selling number formation pack from our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers for even more fun!

The post Playdough Number Mats appeared first on The Stem Laboratory.