St. Patrick’s Day Number Puzzles for Preschoolers
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During March, we have a lot of fun with different St. Patrick’s Day activities, to take advantage of this holiday and create these St. Patrick’s Day Puzzles, for a bit of St. Patrick’s Day-inspired fun and learning for the classroom!
St. Patrick’s Day is a theme like any other. You can use it to focus on many types of activities, and Math is no different.
These FREE St. Patrick’s Day Number Puzzles will encourage your preschoolers to practice their counting, number recognition, counting sets, and one-to-one correspondence.
St. Patrick’s Day Number Puzzles
This St. Patrick’s Day Number Puzzle pack includes 11 pages with numerals 0-20, and you can download it at the end of the post. You can use this activity in your Math or manipulatives centers, but also as a small group activity, take-home game, or Quiet area option.
If your preschoolers have been exposed to other math puzzles, they are probably going to be able to work independently. However, new students or children who are having difficulties counting or recognizing numbers may need your guidance.
How to Prepare the Number Puzzle
To get this puzzle ready you will need a printer, white cardstock, scissors, a laminator machine, and laminator pouches.
Print each page using white cardstock. Then cut out and laminate each of the cards to protect them and make them last longer, even when you only can use them in March.
At the end of the month, you can put your puzzle in a small box or a Zip-lock bag, and store it for the following year, so you can have it ready when you need it again.
How to Play
This game can be played as an individual activity or with a partner. Keep it super simple and have the children match both pieces of the cards, the one with the numeral with the other half with the images.
This puzzle is great for strengthening the children’s adding skills, concentration, memory, one-to-one correspondence, and set creation.
Extension Activities
It is great that you can use this puzzle for other uses, to have options for your preschoolers. Some of the activities that I can think of are:
One-to-One Correspondence
Adding manipulatives such as mini erasers, buttons, pom poms, or any other materials, will encourage your children to count differently, matching each number with the same amount of objects. That will help them, not just practice their counting skills but also their one-to-one correspondence, while they match the manipulatives.
Pre-writing
You can the children trace the numbers using a dry-erase marker, or just copy them on a piece of paper. Have them tell you what number they are working on, to make sure they are identifying the appropriate number.
Using playdough
Have the children select a number card and use playdough to shape the numeral shown on the card. This will add the bonus of working on their fine motor skills and also be a fun way to help them learn their numbers.
Using Books
You know me… I always use storybooks for everything. They are so great, that you can use them for Social Studies, Math, Science, Literacy, Art, etc. Grab some Math storybooks and have them find the numbers in the story, again practicing one-to-one correspondence. These are some suggestions that I’m sure will help you accomplish this.
You can find some at your local library, used book store, and on Amazon. These are some I like. If you want to add some to your collection, just click on the titles and my affiliate links will take you to the right page in seconds.
- How to Catch a Leprechaun by Adam Wallace. Start a St. Patrick’s Day tradition with this fun and lively children’s picture book and get inspired to build leprechaun traps of your own at home or in the classroom!
- Ten Lucky Leprechauns by Kathryn Heling. Count from one to ten as one little leprechaun looking for treasure magically becomes ten silly leprechaun friends at the end of the rainbow.
- The Night Before St. Patrick’s Day by Natasha Wing. It’s the night before St. Patrick’s Day, and Tim and Maureen are wide awake setting traps to catch a leprechaun! When they wake the next morning, they’re shocked to find that they’ve caught a leprechaun. But, will they find his pot of gold?
- The Secret Life of the Leprechauns by Luna James. A fun and silly picture book that allows children to enter the life of the leprechauns.
- The Berenstain Bears’ St. Patrick’s Day by Mike Berenstain. Join Papa, Mama, and the cubs as Gramps introduces them to some of the traditions most associated with the holiday, from gathering to enjoy a parade down Main Street to leprechauns and pots of gold.
- There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Clover! by Lucille Colandro. It’s spring and the Old Lady is swallowing a clover, a butterfly, a daisy, and more! Herald spring with this joyful story, full of bouncy rhymes and bright art!
Take It Outside
Bring the number cards to the playground and have each child select cards and use sidewalk chalk to write the numbers on the sidewalk. You can also have them choose a card and gather natural objects such as leaves, rocks, and Oak nuts to match the number of objects with the number on the card.
Creating Centers
I believe and giving preschoolers choices and variation. If you think about it, you are doing the same activities you do every day, and just by simply changing things around and offering a different presentation, you make them believe it is something completely new.
For that reason, I will suggest creating different centers using different materials and types of activities. You don’t have to use a lot of them at a time. You can use one of three different ones each week.
For me, that is the only way you can keep your children motivated and engaged. There are many activities you can use for St. Patrick’s Day theme or any other theme for that matter, but since I wanted to make things easier for you, I created several activities with free printables for you to use. You can see them at the bottom of the post and print the ones you like.
Pit It for Later
If you don’t have the time to download the printable right away, just pin it to your St. Patrick, Math, or other of your Pinterest board, to have it available for later.
And don’t forget your free number puzzle. You just have to click on the bottom below to receive your printable.
I hope you enjoy these activities and printables, and that March is memorable, fun, and educational for you and your kiddos.
Be happy, safe, and creative. I wish you well.
Love,
P.S. If you would like to see an article about how to make something specific, please let me know and I will try my best to write it for you. 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.
