Here is some springtime fun that students can really count on! These two easy spring counting mats are a great way to bring a little color and sunshine to the math center!
Math is an abstract concept, and attaching meaning to numbers is a skill that emerges in preschool. One-to-one correspondence is the ability to make counting meaningful by counting each item once, and only once, to make up a quantity. For example, counting five birthday candles on a cake, a student points to each one and says ascending numbers as they point. This sounds simple, but it is a foundation of good number knowledge and math skills! These spring counting mats make it easy for both the students AND the teacher to practice this essential skill!
Lucky Shamrock Spring Counting Mats
These lucky counting mats are “solid gold” when it comes to a math center! Here’s what is needed to set it up:
- St. Patrick’s Day Counting Mat kit
- A small tray or container
- Green lentils (borrowed from the sensory table!)
- “gold” coins (found at the dollar store)
- green table scatter (also found at the dollar store)
Students search in the sensory materials and locate the items that match the mat in front of them. They also find the correct number of coins to fill in the circles.
“Egg-cellent” Spring Counting Mats
Butterflies, eggs, and bunnies give this springtime mat an Easter twist. Just like in the St. Patrick’s counting mats, these come together with only a few items. Colored sand, easily found online at Amazon or a craft store, replaces the lentils, but colored rice or noodles works just as well!
As students locate the objects and pictures, encourage them to count while pointing to each item. This helps cement the idea of one-to-one correspondence for early learners.
St. Patrick’s Day Math Center 
Easter Math Center
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Have fun playing and learning with your students today!
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