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Marshmallow Math Activity Mats

Free Printable Winter Math Games

Learning one-to-one counting is an important math skill your preschooler can learn. It’s important not only to be able to count on fingers but to be able to count objects and to recognize that written numbers represent a set amount of objects. This free printable Marshmallow Counting game is a fun way to work on counting skills while adding some hands-on fun! Don’t worry, if you’re not keen on providing your student with a handful of marshmallows we offer some fun alternatives as well.

Winter Math Activities

This free winter counting game comes with 20 counting mats that are numbered 1-20. Each page features an extra-large cup of hot cocoa, for your student to fill with marshmallows. The instructions on top of each page tells you how many marshmallows to put in the mug, with a visual representation for students not yet recognizing written numbers. If you don’t have any marshmallows your child can use play dough, pom poms or any small item.

Counting Math Games

This counting Christmas game is perfect for the holidays when you need a quick activity to pull out of the cupboard for your child to keep busy with. You might even have them play the game with cinnamon red-hots, candy canes, or peppermints….even small white LEGO’s (TM) would work….whatever you have on hand.

Hot Cocoa Playdough Mats

We recommend printing this set on cardstock, or at least placing them in page protectors. You might even use the set with a Number of the Week program that progressively builds through the year.

Gingerbread Spin and Count Game (Numbers 11-20)

Gingerbread House Game

Learning to count is the most basic and necessary skill to have when your child is first learning math. With this free printable Christmas Game, students will learn how to count and identify numbers 11 to 20. This is a great way to expand on your preschooler’s budding math skills. If you are looking for resources to help your student begin counting, check out our Free Number Printables. This Gingerbread game is a hands-on engaging math game for your preschoolers. With colorful & interactive elements, this holiday game is perfect for when your kids are looking for a little winter fun!

Christmas Counting Printable

Gingerbread spin is a free counting game that includes the gingerbread house mat and the spinning mat. If you don’t have a transparent plastic spinner for the number wheel, you can use a brad and paperclip, or even a pencil and a paper clip can be used to create your own homemade spinner.

How to play

This gingerbread house counting game is very easy for your preschool student to play. All you do is spin and whatever number they land on is the number of candies they put on the gingerbread house. If you are not too keen on handing your kiddo a pile of candy there are many different things to use instead. Try mini-erasers, pom-poms, gems, or marshmallows. A quick trip to the Dollar Store will provide you with plenty of inexpensive, thematic, hands-on manipulatives you can use alongside this game.

Preschool Christmas Activities

This set can easily be used as a file folder game or a “Busy Bag” for your students. Because there are only two pages and you can put the pieces in a bag to store for later, storage is a snap and the game can be played with other students for years to come.

When printing we recommend printing on cardstock and laminating for durability. Printing on cardstock will give you further durability so the game can be used over and over through the years.

Monster Playdoh Color Mats

Free Playdoh Monster Color Mat

Learning about the different colors and how to spell them is a necessary part of a preschooler’s education. Students will learn how to spell each one of the 10 colors by stamping each of the letters in playdoh. Monster Playdoh Color Mats are a new and fun way for your young students to learn their colors.

Interactive Spelling Game

This free Color Monster Playdoh game includes 10 different colored monster squares. Each square is a different monster face on it with the color of the monster written below.

Sight Word Spelling

All that is needed to assemble the Monster Color Playdoh Mat is to print the two sheets of paper that have the 10 monsters on them and cut them into squares. The only other materials you will need are playdoh and letter stamps.

How to Play

For this playdoh game, preschool children will pick a monster out of the pile and read the color. Next, the child will choose the same color play dough as the monster, in this case it will be green. Then, the child will spell the word “green” with the letter stamps directly into the play dough.

Colorful Playdoh Stamping

Having your preschooler stamp out words into playdoh doesn’t just have to stop at at colors. If your student is getting frustrated with their spelling words you can give them a break by having them stamp out the words in play dough instead. This is a great way to get your children excited about spelling! This activity can be adapted to your own spelling words, or even for students learning to spell their own name! You can extend this activity to have your student practice other key skills as well. For example, matching the uppercase letter to the lowercase letter, spelling small sight words, or even to spell the days of the week.

Monster Colors Playdough Stamping

Print a set on cardstock and laminate for durability. Store in task box or small plastic bag.

Fall Pumpkin Math Mats

Counting is a skill that all preschoolers need to work on. Not just counting on fingers, but recognizing one-to-one correspondence, that the number they are counting is represented with an object. With this free pumpkin candy counting game, your child can have fun while learning basic counting and addition skills.

Free Pumpkin Printables

With our free pumpkin printables these set works well with any fall or harvest theme. If you’re doing an “On the Farm” theme, this would work very well with that as well. There are many different ways you can use this free printable math mat, so you’re sure to keep students engaged with each method.

How to play Pumpkin Math Mat

Print and laminate the math mat. Depending on your student’s ability, give him or her one die or two dice. Tell your student to roll the dice. Students should then add the corresponding number of pumpkins to the tractor. Clear the board and play again!

Halloween Candy Printable

This free quick printable is great to pull out when you need to give your preschooler something to keep busy with. If you don’t have candy pumpkins you can also use candy corn as a substitute. The Pumpkin Truck Counting printable can be used as a busy bag, you can just put the candy and the dice in a bag with the truck sheet. Then pull it out for your child whenever!

Whether you use the printable pumpkins, buttons, candy corn, or candy pumpkins, this is a simple way to add some hands-on learning activities to your classroom without the prep-work!

Pumpkin Math Mat

Print and laminate or store in a page protector for reuse.

Is My Child Ready for Preschool? 10 Benchmarks to look for:

Raising little people is hard work. There are also so many questions. If you have a preschooler, you are probably wondering when your child will be ready for preschool. Preschool can be part of your homeschool, or at a local school. The readiness skills are the same. Here are 10 benchmarks your child needs to meet before beginning preschool.

Preschool Readiness Checklist:

Play:

Playing is children’s work! Knowing how to play is an important skill. Can your child play independently? Can he play with other children? Does he initiate his own play? Does your child enjoy group activities and participate on some level?

Speech:

Speech development is very individualized, however, there are some benchmarks to look for. Can your child be understood by others? (especially those outside your home) Does she use language to express ideas, wants, and needs? Can your child use a variety of language that is appropriate to the situation? Does she tell you short stories? Does she use “polite words” like please and thank you? Is your child able to control her volume and tone?

Understanding:

Talking is only half of communication. Understanding and listening to other people is another readiness skill. Does your child understand basic directions? Can he follow a conversation? Does he understand basic concepts? Can he associate words with their appropriate category, for instance, toys, food, clothes, or pets?

Independence:

Especially for preschool outside the home, independence is key. These skills will be useful for homeschool preschool as well, though. Is your child okay with being away from you for short periods of time? Can she do basic self-care on her own? (get dressed, put on shoes, brush hair, use the toilet) Does she enjoy being independent and learning new “big kid” skills?

Social Skills:

Preschool is a time for social growth. It’s not only about learning how to be in school, but learning how to be in the world. Does your child know and thrive on routine? Can he anticipate the next step of a daily routine? Does she enjoy being with others? Is she eager to make new friends?

Gross Motor Skills:

Gross motor skills allow children to participate in games and sports. They also help develop the brain for future learning. Can your child kick a stationary ball? Can he run and jump? Is he able to stand on one foot? Does your child have good balance? Can he ride a tricycle?

Fine Motor Skills:

Like gross motor skills, these prepare the brain for learning. Fine motor skills are also essential for writing and independence. Can your child hold her pencil with just her fingers, not a full fist? Can she stack blocks on top of each other?

Emotional Development:

Preschoolers may be small, but they can have big emotions. The important part is how they handle their emotions. Can your child express his emotions appropriately? Can he contain his tantrums? Is he able to recover from upset quickly and easily?

Creativity:

Preschool is a great time to get those creative juices flowing. Imaginative play and art & crafts, are important parts of preschool development. Does your child use ordinary objects for creative play? Can she role play, such as playing house or pretending to be a favorite character? Does she know how to use various art supplies–paper, glue, crayons, paint?

Recognition:

Children learn first from their environment. Being able to recognize objects, landmarks, and routines is the first step in academic learning. Does your child recognize local landmarks and locations? Can he break down a task into a sequence of steps? Is he familiar with features of your home or neighborhood? Does he recognize familiar people? Does he know about “community helpers” and recognize what each does?

Do you have any preschoolers in your home? Here is a great set to get you started on home preschool. This set of free copywriting worksheets will help your child learn to write and spell their own name, phone number, address and more. Click Here.

Monster Teeth Math Mat

Counting Math Mats

Are you planning out a Monster Preschool Theme for your classroom? Then this is an activity you’ll want to add to your line-up! Not only does it have a silly toothless monster, but it gives students an opportunity to put some of that Halloween candy to an educational use!

Addition Math Mats

Candy corn makes the perfect math manipulative for these silly monster mats! Each candy corn represents a single tooth for the monster’s mouth, and the roll of the dice determines how many “teeth” children add to the mat. This game can be played with a single die for students working on counting skills, or two dice for students working on addition skills.

Subtraction Math Mats

You could even adapt this mat to work on subtraction skills if you have students start out filling the monster’s mouth with ten teeth. Then rolling the dice and subtracting the rolled amount. Just be sure to let your students “sample” some of those monster teeth

Monster Dice Mat

Print this free monster dice mat to play with your students today! Laminate or store in a page protector for reuse.

Alphabet Mat Printables

August 3, 2019 By PMOM Team 1 Comment

These free blank alphabet letter mats make look simple, but they are filled with possibility for your preschool classroom! Blank ABC letters can be filled with a variety of different small motor manipulatives, making them a fantastic secret weapon to pull from of your Super Teacher Toolbox! These boredom busters are not only fun and engaging, but they build letter recognition and fine motor skills too! For extended fun, print a set on colored cardstock and laminate them for reuse in a classroom setting.

Here are 10 creative ways to use Blank Alphabet Mats:

1.Alphabet Dab & Dot

Students can use dab & dot markers to fill in the letters. Dab & Dot markers are like markers but at the end of them is a round surface that the paint comes out when pressed down. Children can create different patterns on the letters using Dab & Dot markers. HINT: Show children they can blend two colors by dabbing layers.

2.Alphabet Pom Poms

Pom-poms are a fun hands-on way for preschool age kids to practice learning and making the letters of the alphabet. This is a great way for children to strengthen fine motor skills, especially if you have them use tweezers to pick up and place the pom-poms. HINT: Have children place the poms in the correct stroke order for proper letter formation.

3.Alphabet Play Dough Mats

Playdough is a fun and interactive way for children to make letters. They are able to play around with play-doh all while learning the letters of the alphabet. Children strengthen their small motor muscles by rolling and shaping the dough into the correct shape. This activity builds estimation skills as children determine how long of a rope they will need to complete each letter.

4. Mini-Eraser Play Mats

Have you heard of mini erasers? Teachers use them in their classrooms for small student rewards, but they can be used for many more classroom projects. In this case, students can use them to fill in their blank alphabet templates to make cute patterns.

5.Alphabet Blocks

Blocks are a fun and easy way for your child to learn each letter. Preschoolers can also practice making different patterns with the blocks. These particular blocks are square with different colors, making them just right for filling in our alphabet mats. You can try legos, Cuisenaire blocks, pattern blocks or any other block you might have on hand.

6.Alphabet Sticker Mats

Do you have any extra stickers laying around, maybe even a bunch leftover from a recent garage sale? Well, put them to use! Preschool kiddos love playing with stickers so dig them out of the junk drawer and have your preschooler use them to fill in these blank alphabet letters. There is lots of fine motor work peeling the backing off of individual stickers, and more as the carefully place them on the mat.

7.Alphabet Links

Keeping your preschool classroom stocked with engaging manipulatives is a great way to encourage some spontaneous learning. Links are an inexpensive resources that you’ll want to have on hand. These links are fun to play with and even more fun to make letters out of. Your preschool student can use these links to create different letters by joining the links to form a chain.

8.Alphabet Popsicle Sticks

Mini-Popsicle sticks are another great manipulative you can use to fill in these letter mats. These popsicle sticks come in a rainbow of colors are are about half the size of standard popsicle sticks. Their smaller size lends them the ability to be useful for making the uppercase the lowercase letters of the alphabet.

9. Alphabet Stamps

If you have a set of alphabet stamps available in your classroom, then this is another great way to fill up your blank letter mats. In fact, you can have students stamp the uppercase and the lowercase letters onto the correct letters.

Alphabet Tracing Mats

Use simple page protectors, or laminate the alphabet mats so they can be used with dry-erase markers, Students can practice stroke order and letter formation for all of the letters of the alphabet.

Free Alphabet Templates

These Alphabet templates are currently FREE in our TPT store! Head over to grab this awesome freebie and while you’re there check out our Fine Motor Letter of the Week Bundle. It’s filled with hundreds of activities and resources you can use to build fine motor skills while learning the alphabet.

Monster Counting Mats

These adorably silly monsters have LOST their eyes! Students can help them find their eyes and get them put back in just the right places! Learning to count can be great fun and it’s an important math skills for your preschool student to master! These free Monster Counting Mats bring fun and learning together for a highly engaging math activity.

Free Monster Playdough Mats

You can use a variety of manipulatives for these monster math mats; buttons, play dough, or even marbles….but WIGGLE EYES make the silliest pictures! Especially if you have a selection of different sizes of googly eyes. There is just something so funny and cute about a monster with different sized eyes all over the place!

Monster Math Mats

Your students will get a kick out this fun activity set, and they’ll be learning as they play! Students work on number recognition, and reading early number words as each mat includes simple to follow instructions. We recommend laminating the mats so they can be used over and over again in the years to come!

Monster Addition Math Mats

We’ve also created a universal math mat for any amount of eyes that you can use for extended learning. For example, provide children with a die to roll and count out the eyes. Or use two die and have them add the numbers first before placing the eyes on the mat. If you have LOTS of wiggle eyes ask students to see how many eyes they can even FIT on the silly monster! Can he really have 50 eyes?

Instant Math Centers

These mats can be used to inspire fun learning and make instant math centers for your classroom. These print two to a sheet and should be laminated for durability. Additionally, you can print multilple pages per sheet if you want to turn these into flashcard sized mats. This might be helpful if the google eyes you have are small, or if you want to store them in a task card container.

Universal Monster Counting Mat

This free printable monster counting mat can be used to play all sorts of counting games. Use dice to roll and add, then place that many eyes on your monster! Or expanding counting skills by challenging children to get as many eyes as they can on this monster!

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