Pumpkin Patch Counting Mats

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One of the things that are typically fall-related is pumpkins. And they can be used throughout the entire season, and tie with the Halloween and Thanksgiving themes as well.

Preschoolers need to practice number recognition and counting with hands-on activities. Why? Because if preschoolers don’t recognize the numbers and learn to count, they are not going to be able to use them later with they start learning more complex mathematical concepts, such as addition and subtraction.

There are many hands-on activities you can do for this purpose. This one is just one more. This printable is free to my subscribers and you can get it at the end of this post.

Pumpkin Patch Counting Mats

This math activity requires very little prep work, using just a few materials and steps:

Print all the pages on white cardstock.
Cut out and laminate the tiles to have them available for years to come.
If you don’t want to laminate the mats, you can always use dry erase sleeves.
When you are done using the activity, storage it on sheet protectors placed in a binder, to keep them safe for next year.

I always recommend printing out multiple copies and placing them in different centers. That way you will entice and encourage more preschoolers to use them, when they rotate for the different centers, such as small group tables, Math centers, Writing centers, Quiet areas, or even use them as a take-home game.

This printable includes:

Two different mat versions.
Number tiles from 1 to 12.
12 pumpkin tiles.
12 written number tiles.
12 written phrases.

I’ve created three versions of the activities, one simpler than the other. That way you can decide which activity is best for the level that your different children are in. We never want to stress them out or create frustration, because we want them to use the activity so they can learn, and if the activity creates a negative impact on them, is not going to be effective, and they will not want to use it.

Simpler Version

This first version is for children that are starting to learn how to count and recognize numbers when they see them. In this version, your preschoolers are going to select a number tile, place it on the big square, and then pick the number of pumpkin tiles necessary to match the number and place them on the little squares.

Intermedial Version

This version is a little more advanced than the previous one. In this version, in addition to selecting a number tile, placing it on the big square, and picking up the number of pumpkin tiles necessary to match the number and place them on the little squares, the children have to identify the number they chose in its written version, select that tile and place it in the rectangle.

Advanced Version

This last version is for children that are starting to develop their reading skills because they are going to do all the steps that the previous version requires, but instead of selecting the tile with the written number, they will have to choose a tile with a short phrase that includes the number and the word pumpkin.

Benefits of this Activity

This activity will allow preschoolers to practice their:

Number recognition (identifying the number on the tile).
Counting abilities (counting the pumpkins to match the number).
Fine motor, hand-eye coordination and control (placing the tiles in the squares).
Concentration skills (focusing on the different tasks).
One-to-one correspondence (counting the pumpkin tiles to be add).
Language development (counting out loud number sequence).
Pre-reading (identify the correct written number or phrase to placed on the mat).

Pumpkin Books for Preschool

Fill your library and the different centers with many books about pumpkins, but I wanted to give four examples of some of my favorites. If you don’t have many available, you can always find a lot at your local library or used bookstore. Of course, you can also order them through my Amazon affiliate links by clicking the images below.

How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara. This book is a wonderful math and science addition to your library, reinforcing counting and estimation in a fun pumpkin-themed classroom experiment!

Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden by George Levenson. This is a beautiful book for any child to explore how a backyard pumpkin patch moves through its natural cycle of life from seeds sprouting to pumpkins growing.

Too Many Pumpkins! by Linda White. Filled with colorful illustrations from a season of gardening, this beautiful book offers a wonderful lesson for preschoolers about helping others, using colorful illustrations for young gardeners.

Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie (Picture the Seasons) by Jill Esbaum. This beautifully photographed picture book with its festive images and lively text takes you on a learning journey from seed to sprout, picking up a pumpkin, carving it for Hallowing, and baking pumpkin pie for a delicious Thanksgiving feast, covering the entire season.

Pin It For Later

If you are in a rush and don’t have time to read the post and download the printable but want to save it for later, pin this to your Math, Fall, Halloween, and/or Thanksgiving boards on Pinterest for later.

Then check out other FREE counting printables available only to my readers and get them too, to expand your activities collection, and help your preschoolers have fun while learning.

You might also find more activities on my Holidays page that you might like. They are all free for my subscribers. And don’t forget to grab your FREE Pumpkin Patch Counting Mats printable by clicking on the link below!

I hope you enjoy this activity and help you have really fun during this season with your preschoolers.

Be happy, safe, and creative. I wish you well.

Love,

P.D. Please let me know if you like any of these ideas worked for you, or you think I need to add or replace something. My goal is to help you in any way I can and I don’t like anything better than to post something that you might find useful. Also, if you came up with different ideas and want to share them, I will love to post them as well.