Snowflakes Counting Mats for Preschoolers
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These FREE and super cute Snowflakes Counting Mats are the perfect hands-on activity for Winter! They are also fun, engaging, and an effective way for your preschoolers to learn numbers and practice their counting!
This 16-page Snowflakes Counting Mats pack offers three types of activities using the numbers 0 to 10, and it is available at the end of this post.
Benefits of the Snowflakes Counting Mats
This activity will allow preschoolers to practice their:
- Number recognition (identifying the number on the mat before counting).
- Number words (writing and/or copying the words).
- Counting abilities (counting the snowflakes).
- Number formation and fine motor development (tracing and writing number words).
- Hand-eye coordination and control (placing the manipulatives in the squares).
- Concentration skills (focusing on the different tasks).
- One-to-one correspondence (counting the manipulatives to be added).
- Language development (counting out loud number sequence).
Setting Up the Snowflakes Counting Mats
To get this low-prep activity, you will need the following materials:
- Snowflakes Counting Mats (found at the bottom of this post).
- Printer.
- White cardstock or dry-erase pockets.
- Laminator and laminator sheets.
- Dry-erase markers, pencil, regular marker, or crayon.
- Mini snowflakes or other small manipulatives – such as mini erasers, buttons, small cotton balls, small balls of play-dough, or bingo chips.
- Velcro or school glue.
Print each page using white cardstock. Laminate the cards or place them in dry-erase pockets so they remain available for years to come.
Place one piece of Velcro on the square on the mat, and the other part on the number tiles.
When you are done using the activity, store it on sheet protectors placed in a binder to keep the mats safe.
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 to the various centers.
How to Use The Snowflakes Counting Mats
These Snowflakes Counting Mats can be used in many ways, such as:
- Small group activity
- Math center option
- Writing center
- Take-home game
- Quiet area option
Before you place the mats in the different centers, it is recommended to introduce them to your preschoolers first. Circle time might be the perfect time to do this. There is no point in placing them in centers if they don’t know how to use them first.
A good way to do this is to introduce the mats to the children and talk about each number and its shape, noting the different characteristics of each. Talk about small and large numbers, such as number 2 has fewer pictures than number 5 because it is a smaller number.
Then explain the three types of activities included in the mats:
- Counting and Tracing – Children will count out loud the snowflakes on the mats, trace the dotted number word on the rectangle, and then write the same number word next to the traced one using a dry-erase marker if the page is laminated, or a pencil, marker, or crayon if the mat is not laminated.
- Finding the Correct Number – They will look for the correct number tile that represents the number of snowflakes on the mat, and place it on the square on the mat with Velcro if it’s laminated, or glue if it’s not.
- Counting and Matching – Finally, children will place mini snowflakes or other small manipulatives on the correct number of squares on the mat’s grid, if it’s laminated, or color the same number of squares with regular markers or crayons if it’s not.
Extension activities:
- Copy the words using magnetic, foam, or wooden letters.
- Match the numbers with magnetic ones.
- Use the number tiles on the sensory table and have preschoolers match them with plastic or acrylic snowflakes.
- Write the numbers on white paper or glue number tiles on construction paper, and glue the same number of mini snowflakes under them.
Winter Storybooks
This activity gives you the perfect opportunity to read storybooks related to winter, which is also a very appropriate type of storybook for winter. Remember that reading to your preschoolers helps them engage with the theme, expand their vocabulary, and work on their pre-reading and pre-writing skills, among other benefits.
These are some fun books you can use. You can find them at your local library, used bookstore, or on Amazon. Clicking each title will take you directly to Amazon via my affiliate links, saving you time looking for them.
- The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll is a fun story about Clayton and Desmond’s collaboration to build the biggest snowman ever for the town’s contest.
- Ten Sparkly Snowflakes by Tiger Tales. A cut math book that used woodland animals to show children how the number of snowflakes decreases from 10 to 1 with each turn of the page.
- Animals in Winter by Henrietta Bancroft. This book is a little advanced for preschoolers, but it can help you introduce your kids to basic science ideas during discussions about the seasons and animals.
- Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter by Kenard Pak. A brother and sister will take children on a journey as they explore nature and stroll through their twinkling town, greeting all the signs of the coming winter.
- What’s a Season: Winter by Kelly Grettlel. With colorful, rhythmic text, this book will show your kiddos what makes winter magical and fun.
- Curious About Snow by Gina Shaw. With beautiful snowflake photos, this book explores the science of snow, the history of record-setting blizzards and snowstorms, and how people have fun in the snow!
- The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll is a fun story about Clayton and Desmond’s collaboration to build the biggest snowman ever for the town’s contest.
- Ten Sparkly Snowflakes by Tiger Tales. A cut math book that used woodland animals to show children how the number of snowflakes decreases from 10 to 1 with each turn of the page.
- Curious About Snow by Gina Shaw. With beautiful snowflake photos, this book explores the science of snow, the history of record-setting blizzards and snowstorms, and how people have fun in the snow!
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 it to your Math and Winter Pinterest boards, so you can have it available when you need it.
I hope you and your preschoolers enjoy this Snowflakes Counting Mats printable, and that it helps them learn or review their numbers and expand their counting skills!
Don’t forget to grab your FREE printable by clicking on the link below.
Are you looking for more Winter ideas and activities to do at home or in the classroom? If so, check out my Winter Activities page HERE, where you will find more FREE printables.
Be happy, safe, and creative. I wish you well.
Love,
P.D. Please let me know if these mats worked for you, or if you think I need to add or replace something. My goal is to help you in any way I can.
