When it’s cold outside, warm up inside with this winter math counting activity. The adorable oversized mittens and colorful buttons are perfect for young learners who are developing counting skills, number identification, and who also need to practice their hand-eye coordination.
How to make this Winter Math Center:
- Copy the large mittens (get the free download here!) onto brightly colored paper. (Astrobrights brand is always a favorite!)
- Cut out the mittens and laminate as desired.
- Add small bowls of colorful buttons. For the safety of younger children, substitute pom-poms or other manipulatives for the buttons.
How to Differentiate this Math Center
- Students who are still learning their numbers and how to count sets will benefit from having the dots already printed on the mittens.
- To make this center more challenging for students who have already mastered number identification, print the mittens without the corresponding dots.
The students choose buttons to cover the dots as they count and identify each number. The point to each button and count to check their work. This reinforces the number and quantity.
You can find this center, along with many other preschool centers and ten great Winter Circle Time lessons in this unit:
Mitten Matching Bulletin Board
Symmetrical Mittens Art Project
Hello! Thanks for the great idea! Just wondering – where did you get the colored buttons?
From the craft store! (AC Moore here in Virginia, but I imagine any craft store would have them.)