Monster Counting Mats

Few things are quite as exciting to kids as monsters. These playful counting mats put all of that excitement to great use – giving children practice with number recognition, counting AND ten frames.

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