St. Patrick’s Day Number Puzzles for Preschoolers
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In 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, or as a small-group activity, take-home game, or quiet-area option.
If your preschoolers have been exposed to other math puzzles, they will probably be able to work independently. However, new students or children who have difficulty counting or recognizing numbers may need your guidance.
How to Prepare the Number Puzzle
To prepare these puzzles, 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 card to protect it and make it last longer, even if you can only use it in March.
At the end of the month, put your puzzle in a small box or a Zip-lock bag and store it for the following year, so it’s ready when you need it again.
How to Play
This game can be played individually or with a partner. Keep it simple: have the children match each card’s numeral half with its image half.
This puzzle is great for strengthening the children’s adding skills, concentration, memory, one-to-one correspondence, and set creation.
Extension Activities
You can also use this puzzle in other ways to give your preschoolers options. 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. This will help them practice not only counting skills but also one-to-one correspondence as they match the manipulatives.
Pre-writing
You can have 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 identify the correct number.
Using Playdough
Have the children select a number card and use playdough to shape the numeral shown on the card. This adds the bonus of building fine motor skills and is also a fun way to help them learn their numbers.
Read 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 storybooks and have them find the numbers in the story or count objects, again practicing one-to-one correspondence. These suggestions will help you accomplish this.
You can find some at your local library, used bookstore, 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, or simply jump as many times as the number you are showing.
Creating Centers
I believe in giving preschoolers choices and variation. If you think about it, you do the same activities every day, and simply changing things around and offering a different presentation can make them feel like 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 many 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 a 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.
Pin It for Later
If you don’t have time to download the printable right away, just pin it to your St. Patrick, Math, or other Pinterest board so it’s available later.
And don’t forget your free number puzzle. Just click the button below to get 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 an article on how to make something specific, please let me know, and I will do my best to write it for you. My goal is to help you in any way I can, and I don’t like anything more than posting something you might find useful.
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