Counting and Number Identification

Two important skills in preschool and kindergarten are counting with one to one correspondence and number identification.  Both are skills that require a lot of practice to fully master.  By incorporating fun and hands-on activities, your students will quickly succeed in these areas.  In this post, I’ll share a couple of fun counting practice and number identification activities.

Bubble Gum Counting and Number Identification

Bubblegum is such a fun theme for little ones.  And, I’ve found the perfect DOLLAR STORE manipulative that looks just like gumballs!  You’ll need to purchase some hair elastics with the large colorful beads on each end.  Then, cut the beads off the elastics.  You now have GUMBALLS! Students will practice counting and identifying numbers with this fun manipulative.  For even more engagement, let students chew bubble gum while they work!

 Of course, students will be at different levels when it comes to counting.  For those who are struggling with one to one correspondence, I use counting mats that have circles on them so they can match one “gumball” to one circle.  For students who are easily able to count, I use the plain counting mats that only have a numeral on them.  Differentiation is key to student success.  The activities are so similar that students won’t even realize their mat is a little bit different.  You can further differentiate based on the numbers you choose for students to work on.  Some students may only be able to focus on numbers 1-5, while other students may be ready for 11-20.

Tens frames and twenty frames are another great way to help students visualize the numbers 1-20 and to give them counting practice.  Success with these tools will go a long way in preparing children for future math success!

Number Formation

Writing numbers is another important skill for preschoolers and kindergarteners.  Proper numeral formation is also important.  I love to laminate these number formation cards and provide a dry erase marker in a center.  Each card shows the path of motion for each numeral so students are not only writing the numbers, but writing them correctly. Building this muscle memory is important! Also, the printable gumball page can be placed in a write and wipe pocket for repeated use, or students could complete it with a pencil or crayon for individual practice.

Ready to implement these counting practice and number identification activities? You can purchase the complete Bubble Gum Counting packet HERE.

More Counting Practice and Number Identification Activities

Another fun activity for counting practice and number identification is called Cavity Count. For this activity, you’ll use laminated mats, dry erase markers, and dice (or number cards).  After rolling a die or choosing a number card, the student colors that many “cavities” using a dry erase marker.  Then, the student uses a REAL toothbrush to clean the cavities.  You won’t believe how popular this activity is!  This activity is a FREE download in my Subscriber-Exclusive Resource Library!  You can get access to this and several other fabulous resources by subscribing below.

 

Click on the image below to get access the Cavity Count FREEBIE plus several other free resources!

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