Activities on numbers for preschoolers

50+ Number Activities for Preschoolers

These number activities for preschoolers include many fun, engaging, and hands-on ways to explore numbers with young children. If you’re looking for math activities for preschoolers and kindergartners that focus on numbers, you’ve come to the right place!

Below, you’ll find a variety of preschool number activities to suit your needs. They let kids practice early math skills like number recognition, number formation, one-to-one correspondence, and counting. There are even a variety of number printables perfect for early childhood classrooms.

And all of the number activities take into account how young children learn. So the ideas encourage hands-on exploration with numbers and manipulatives.

Coming up, you’ll find all of the number-related activities from Fun-A-Day. I’ll keep adding to the list as I share more here with you, so be sure to pop back and check.

Table of Contents

Click on the links that interest you the most, and be sure to save your favorite ones! I’ve started a new Numbers Pinterest board if that’s where you like saving links.

These number activities will help you teach a variety of important early math skills, like:

• One-to-one correspondence
• Number identification
• Number formation
• Matching numerals to quantities
• Numerical order
• Skip counting
• Subitizing

We can’t talk about number activities for preschoolers without touching on counting, right? The links below can all be used to practice concepts like those listed above.

While each of these are different math skills, they’re very much interrelated. And, depending on the ages and needs of your students, you will focus on different ones with the following ideas.

Of course, there will be more coming in the future, and I’ll be sure to add the links then.

As promised, I also have some printables to add to this collection of number activities for preschoolers! While I’m not a fan of preschool worksheets, that usually only serve one purpose, I do rather like printables that can be used multiple ways.

In fact, I have over 40 number printables perfect for preschool and kindergarten classrooms! You can check them out by clicking on the link below:

Free Preschool Number Printables

Like the non-printable number ideas, these printables have been used with kids in both preschool and kindergarten. And they’re all great ways to explore early math concepts. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Rainbow Yarn Sensory Bin (with printable rainbow and gold ten frames)
• Printable Bat Emergent Reader (that’s all about counting bats)
• Snowman Roll and Cover

Okay, I’ll stop there. Since there are so many printable number activities for preschoolers, it’s best if you click through the link above. That way you can find just the right one for you and your kids!

Okay, okay. So I didn’t stop there. Because I wanted to highlight a subset of the number printables. And those are the calendar numbers!

I highly recommend that you grab a few sets for yourself. You can use the number cards in SO MANY ways! They’re super easy to prep, and the illustrations allow for some whimsy throughout the year. Click on the link below to check them out:

Calendar Numbers

I have quite a few more planned out for the upcoming year. So be sure to save that post, too. That way you can get your hands on them as soon as they’re ready!

Since I mentioned above the various skills these number activities for preschoolers can cover, I thought we’d chat a bit about what the terms mean.

We, as adults, tend to use the term “counting” to cover a few different bases. When it comes to early math, counting means determining the total number of items in a particular group.

Some examples of counting:

• Holding up a finger for each year in a child’s age and counting them out loud. “One, two, three, four.”
• Placing toy cars out on the table and counting them along the way.
• Looking at five kids in line and counting them 1 through 5, sequentially.

So counting includes both numbers and sets of items. And the understanding that the last number said is the total of the items in the group.

If you’re here, you’re likely a teacher or caregiver of a young child. No doubt you’ve experienced said child practicing their counting (sometimes over and over and over again, right?!).

That’s rote counting – saying the numbers in order. Specifically, rote counting is reciting numbers in order (from memory). There are no specific objects being counted. The numbers are being said out loud in sequential order.

And, as with most things when it comes to young children, there are a few steps along the way to true rote counting. From toddlers saying, “One, three, nine . . .” to preschoolers counting to 20 but skipping 15, children work their way up to counting out loud.

One-to-one correspondence is the understanding that every object in a group can only be counted once; that every number corresponds with a specific quantity. It can also be explained as matching one item to one corresponding item or number.

This understanding is developed with lots of playful practice, in many different hands-on ways. Some examples of one-to-one correspondence in early childhood:

• Putting a counting bear on top of a toy block – “I have one bear and one block!”
• Placing manipulatives in a ten-frame, one frame at a time, with only one manipulative per square
• Touching one toy at a time while saying the corresponding number out loud
• Moving beads on a string as they’re being counted
• Pointing to kids in line, one by one, and counting along the way
• Counting each time a child hops on one foot

Most of the number activities for preschoolers included in this post can be used for counting with one-to-one correspondence. The activities help children move from rote counting to rational counting.

One-to-one correspondence helps children learn that each number corresponds to a specific quantity. Using things like magnetic numbers or printable number cards can help kids move forward with corresponding quantities with numerals.

For example, you might place one of the calendar numbers on the table. It’s the numeral 5. Then your students can count out 5 Unifix cubes, one at a time, counting each one only once. So many early math skills are very much intertwined, so kids are exploring multiple concepts with each of the number activities for preschoolers.

Now that we’ve delved into all the fun number activities for preschoolers you can try out soon, let’s chat supplies. You don’t really have to have a certain type of material to teach kids about numbers. In fact, that’s one of the great things about preschool math – you can use items on-hand or already in your environment.

But, if you are looking for some suggestions, I’ve got you covered (I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post):

• Jumbo number magnets
• Counting bears
• Unifix cubes
• Sandpaper numerals

Now you’ll have to tell me what YOUR favorite number activities for preschoolers are! Leave them in the comments below this post.

Let Preschool Teacher 101 make your teaching life easier with fully-developed, done-for-you preschool resources. That way you spend more time teaching and living your life, and less time planning!

We’ve got quite a few number-themed math resources that your students will love! They help support your math lessons and allow kids to practice number skills. Click on the images below to read more about a few of our resources:

And be sure to check out The Pack from Preschool Teacher 101, a membership for preschool teachers just like you. With over 100 lesson plans, over 130 supplemental resources, editable templates, trainings, and more . . . The Pack can save you a ton of time!

You can also find us on Teachers Pay Teachers.

40 Awesome Number Activities for Preschoolers

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16 Dec

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Number activities for preschoolers don't have to be boring and just worksheets, make them fun so your preschooler will love math!

I love math. I’m a nerd, yes. But I love anything to do with numbers.

I really do hope I can pass this along to my kids by making learning activities about numbers and counting fun for them and not a chore.

As I’m typing this, Henry’s shouting excitedly as he’s counting how many things on his sprayer…though I’m not really sure what he’s counting exactly. He made it to 39 though!

Because I’m a huge math nerd I searched for easy and fun number activities for preschoolers.

My Favorite 40+ Number Activities for Preschoolers!

Try these activities to help preschoolers learn their ABCs!

Recognizing Numbers Activities for Preschoolers

Identifying numbers can be a learning experience for preschoolers (and younger!). Many of the ABC recognition activities can also be adjusted for numbers.

My kids love these 12 number activities for preschoolers to recognize numbers.

1. Turn a number into sensory art – perfect for the 100th day of school!
2. Go on a hunt for numbers and match it with the same number!
3. Follow a number from start to finish in a maze.
4. Trace numbers, really big!
5. Little Family Fun created a parking lot with numbers.
6. Pop! Find the number and pop it!
7. Find and match playing cards.
8. Have target practice with water balloons and numbers, like Motherhood on a Dime
9. Make art! Do this paint by number canvas art.
10. Use stickers and printable number cards to play hide and seek, from Teach Mama.
11. Draw and paint over numbers with q-tips, like Toddler at Play!
12. Clip and match with giant numbers from You’ve Got This Math!

Activities for Number Recognition

Counting Activities for Preschoolers

Learning there’s a sequence to the numbers and what comes next. Try these 18 number activities to help preschoolers learn to count.

1. Connect the dots! A simple past-time activity that reinforces the order of numbers.
2. Upcycle a box into a puzzle of numbers!
3. Create a maze of numbers to drive through. Can they count their way to the end?
4. Stacking up boxes and counting how high you can go!
5. Make a craft together with multiple pieces. Have your child do the counting!
6. Count cars of a particular color while on the road, or semis, or vans, whatever suits their interest!
7. Create a learning game with your ABC mat and number blocks. Choose a number block and pound the corresponding times with a hammer on the corresponding number mat!
8. Let your child run an experiment and measure how much something holds! How many cups fit?
9. Make puzzles with a picture. Label sections of the puzzle in numerical order. Cut apart and have your child put it back together again, from Growing in PreK.
10. Use friendly animal crackers to practice counting and number recognition, like I Can Teach My Child.
11. Measure objects (or yourself!) and count how big they are, from The Imagination Tree
12. Count objects around the house. No Time For Flash Cards wants to know “How many doors do you have?”
13. Play any board game, or make your own! Little Family Fun creates a fish race game!
14. Count with LEGO! Do Play Learn likes to label a paper with numbers and count out the LEGO next to it.
15. Snack time! Use dice and fruit snacks and play until you eat them all up, like Kids Activities Blog.
16. Have a bean bag toss on the stairs, number them!
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Counting Activities for Preschoolers

One to One Correspondence Activities for Preschoolers

Knowing your numbers is one thing and knowing how to count is another. But being able to put them into context that they each have meaning is done with one to one correspondence.

Get ready for preschool with 35 name activities!

I love these 12 number activities that help a preschool practice one to one correspondence.

1. Head out into nature and explore flowers. Count and compare flower petals! 
2. Go on a hunt for a number and match it to its corresponding dots.
3. Build towers of blocks on a number mat, with the correct number of blocks high!
4. Spark your child’s interest with their interests! A farming approach of loading grain bins with the corresponding number of pieces of “grain. ”
5. Have a newspaper throwing game and count up the newspaper balls, or how many you make, or miss!
6. Make something in the kitchen together, or do an experiment and let your child measure out and do the counting.
7. Sort through objects by color, and count how many you have of each!
8. Fill a dump truck with objects (like Dominoes!) and count how many you can fit in there, like Inspiration Laboratories.
9. Estimate first for some fun and then count item, from Teach Preschool.
10. Have a counting race in the front yard and pick dandelions in the process!
11. Roll a die (or two!) and practice one to one correspondence as kids build towers with blocks.
12. Use a dice and small objects (like pom poms or corn kernels) and count them and fill up a tray.

One to One Number Activities for Preschoolers

Counting and number books that will get preschoolers excited about numbers:

• The Baker’s Dozen: A Counting Book
• I Spy Numbers
• One Big Building: A Counting Book About Construction (Know Your Numbers)

Do you actively work on numbers and counting with your child? Share your favorite activities!

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About Jamie Reimer

Jamie learned to be a hands on mom by creating activities, crafts and art projects for her three boys to do. Jamie needed the creative outlet that activities provided to get through the early years of parenting with a smile! Follow Jamie on Pinterest and Instagram!

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Content

1. Cards with “Learn numbers”
2. Cose-ciphera
3. Cover the correct numbers
4. numbers
5. of the game “Learn numbers” for children
6. NASE!
7. Make a number
8. Numbers by numbers
9. Finders
10. Pantomime
11. Laughter
12. Gymnastics by numbers
13. Find the mistake 900 with numbers 5 Memory
0005 Tangram “Figures”
14. Coloring numbers
15. Table games “Learn numbers” for children
16. Mixed Domino
17. Print tasks “Learn numbers” for children
18. Digital Labyrinth
19. We count on fingers up to 10

Developing games “Developing games” Learn numbers" for children: a selection of fun games and tasks. Print out children's tasks with numbers for preschoolers.

Children aged 2-5 usually do not yet know all the numbers, but only name or “recognize” some of them. Kids confuse a number and a number, a number and a letter, they confuse numbers with each other: zero and the letter 0, G and 1, 2 and 5, 9and 6, 1 and 4, etc. Often violate the sequence between adjacent numbers from a series.

Certain difficulties arise in some children when the result of the count must be indicated by a number or the figure must be correlated with the required number of items.

Lessons "Learn numbers" for preschool children will allow you to easily and quickly eliminate such problems in a playful way.

Here: games for children "Let's learn letters".

Cards with sheep "Learn numbers"

Educational cards - visual material, convenient for explaining any topic. Therefore, it is successfully used in the study of numbers. nine0003

Copy-book numbers

Here: Print additional copy-book numbers for children.

Circle the correct numbers

Lego numbers

Learning numbers games for kids

Name it!

Numbers made from different materials are considered: paper, cardboard, fabric, printed on cards of different sizes and colors, written or printed, etc. In the process of such a lesson, you can find out what numbers the child knows and where he saw them.

Make a number

It is proposed to lay out numbers from circles, sticks, cubes, triangles, mosaics, mold them from plasticine, clay. You can cut out numbers from velvet or plain paper, old newspapers or magazines, fabrics and stick them on.

For plasticine figures there is a wonderful manual - Plasticine account. It will teach a child to sculpt a number and help to remember it by creating an illustration for it from plasticine.

Numbers by cells

It is necessary to paint over the cells, as in the sample, and get numbers from 0 to 9.

Finders

Cards with numbers are laid out on the table. The child receives a card with a number. You have to find yours.

Pantomime

The adult draws a number in the air with his finger, and the child guesses it, then they switch roles.

Laughers

By drawing or drawing, the figures turn into "little men", "animals" or other funny figures.

Gymnastics by numbers

An adult offers (squat, jump) to a child as many times as the number indicates. nine0003

Find the mistake

The child is shown two cards. The kid needs to determine whether the image of the number on one card matches the number of circles, triangles or objects on the other card.

Memory with numbers

The child examines cards with numbers and memorizes them. The adult swaps them. The kid points out what has changed. If any card is removed, the child guesses which number is gone.

Tangram “Numbers”

Sensorics will help you remember writing numbers: write numbers, mold from plasticine, lay them out from buttons, pompons, figurines, sticks . .. Here are the numbers from the tangram. nine0003

More tangram tasks here.

Coloring pages for numbers

You can take coloring pages with numbers and invite your child to color them. The child will be interested in creativity, and at the same time consolidate knowledge about the new figure.

Here: Print out the number coloring tasks.

So that the coloring process does not bore the child, you need to use various interesting techniques for this

• paint numbers not only with pencils, but also with paints, wax crayons, stamps; nine0006
• lay out numbers from sticks, cubes, mosaics, buttons, peas, pebbles;
• model numbers from plasticine,
• color with fingers using finger paints;
• use non-traditional drawing techniques: cotton buds, crumpled paper, blots, etc.

Board games "Learn numbers" for children

Any walking board games teach counting. Children must understand the number corresponding to the number of dots on the top face of the die that has fallen out, and make the corresponding number of moves forward. nine0003

When your child has learned to easily count up to 6, play with two dice at the same time, so you will train not only numbers and numbers up to 12, but also addition.

Download and print board games for free!

Mixed domino

The difference between this domino and the classical one is that the child must quickly analyze and correlate the written number and the number of dots.

It is difficult to play with paper dominoes; nine0003

Includes 36 dominoes.

Print tasks "Learning numbers" for children

Digital maze

Counting on fingers up to 10

And what tasks for children for learning numbers from the proposed did you like ?

Numbers for children - Preparation for school and developmental tasks for children Mama7ya

Math for kids always starts with numbers. This is the basis of everything. Each number in children will be associated with a quantity. The child needs to see the number itself and the number of objects next to the number being studied. Visualization helps to quickly and efficiently study all the numbers. nine0003

How easy is it to learn numbers with a child?

Place numbers, dots and objects in front of the child. Put the required number of dots and objects next to each number. You can also highlight points and numbers with the same color.

Combined cards can also be used. Show the child a card, first count the dots with him, then the objects that are drawn on the card and show the designation of the number.

Counting sticks are great for introducing children to numbers. After showing the child the number, ask him to lay out the corresponding number of sticks. nine0003

There are many ways to learn numbers in a fun and playful way:

• Sculpt numbers and dots with plasticine.
• Build Lego figures.
• Draw numbers and objects on each separate sheet.
• Line up the toys and count them.
• Count pencils or markers.
• Lay out counting sticks.
• Make applications from numbers.
• Play hopscotch and jump on the numbers.
• Cut out the numbers and the appropriate number of items for them. nine0006
• Draw numbers and dots on asphalt in different colors.
• Draw numbers in sand and snow.
• Lay out numbers from pasta, and dots from peas.

As you can see, learning numbers with children is quite an interesting process for both children and parents. The form of the game will allow the child to be captivated by the study of numbers for a long time.

Lacing for the study of numbers will help you remember and circle the entire number. It also develops fine motor skills of the hands, which favorably affects the development of the child's speech. Below are stencils for playing and learning numbers. Print out the materials, make holes for each number according to the pattern and show your child how to thread the string while learning the number. nine0003

Below are numbers that you can color with your fingers. Having dipped the boy into the paint, the child will gladly run his finger over the dots. In this way, the child will have fun and interesting to study each number. To study the numbers, match each number with your own paint.

Item count. How many items are in the picture.

Find all the items and count their number. Enter the resulting numbers in the squares.

Let's count how many butterflies are in the picture.

Count all the squirrels in the picture.

Find the swans in the picture and count how many there are in total.

How many balloons are launched into the sky?

The pictures show numbers and objects. Connect the objects with the corresponding number with a line.

The picture shows objects. Count them and write down how many objects you see.

Find all the hidden numbers in the picture and say them.

Digit 1

Number and digit 1

The number 1 is a unit of account and indicates the number of items, i.e. one cat, one boy, one sun.

The number 1 is a character that represents a number and is written as ONE.

The number 1 stands between the number zero (number 0) and the number two (number 2).

Let's show the child the number of toys equal to number 1 and ask: how many objects are in front of you? One doll, one duck, one locomotive, one giraffe, one bucket.

Let's lay out with the child from counting sticks the number one , and then next to it we will put one stick, which will indicate the corresponding number, i.e. number 1 .

Now we have figured out what is the difference between the number 1 and the number 1.

Let's study number and number 1 together with animals. Let's talk with the child about animals and that each animal has one? nine0003

Answer questions about the number 1 and the number 1 :

1. How many tails does a tiger have? Answer: One tail is a number, and let's denote it by the number 1.
2. How many beaks does a sparrow have? Answer: One beak - we will say the number 1, and write the number 1.
3. How many noses does a cat have? Answer: the cat has one nose (let's say - the number 1), we will also write the answer - the number 1.

Write down the number of apples growing on the tree and voice this number.

Answer: One apple grows on a tree (number 1), and we write 1 apple (number 1) next to the picture. nine0003

With the help of the game, the child will develop an idea of ​​the number 1 and the number 1. In the form of a game, classes with children are interesting, fun and memorable.

Let's prepare a handout and repeat the following concepts: large, smaller, small with the number 1 and the number 1.

Let's draw one big Christmas tree on the first white sheet of paper and place a big mushroom under this Christmas tree. Let's say that we see one big Christmas tree (we voice the number 1) and next we write the number 1.

Then we take out the second sheet of paper and draw a smaller Christmas tree and announce to the child that we have drawn 1 smaller Christmas tree (number 1) and sign the number 1 next to it. A smaller mushroom will also grow under the smaller Christmas tree. Voice the number 1 and write the number 1 next to the smaller mushroom.

Now we need a third sheet and on it we draw a small Christmas tree and a small fungus. small Christmas tree, small mushroom, number 1 and number 1.

This lesson reinforces the concepts of large smaller small and the need to use the number 1 and the number 1.

At the lesson number and number 1, the child learns to understand and reinforces the following concepts:

1. How does the number 1 differ from the number 1.
2. What number does the counting start from.

Open the picture book and ask the child to list all the items that match the number 1.

Talk to the child again:

Number 1 - we say aloud the number of objects corresponding to this number.

The number 1 is the number representing the number 1, we write the number.

Thus, we have analyzed concepts of the number 1 and the number 1 .

Presentation subject number 1 and number 1 .

Invite the child to circle the large drawn number 1. Then you can offer to circle the number 1 in dots, the copybooks with the number 1 will help in this. And then, after practicing writing the number 1 in dots, the child tries to reproduce writing the number 1 himself.0003

Lesson summary number and number 1 will help in conducting classes and diversify classes with preschoolers and 1st grade students.

This material can be used as abstract for a lesson about the number 1 and the number 1 .

The first acquaintance with numbers and numbers in a child begins with , the number 1 and the number 1 .

After learning the count up to 10, you can start writing numbers from 1 to 10.

When writing each number, you need to approach correctly, show how to write a number and how to connect each element of the number to each other. For clarity, the child can be shown how to spell the number 1: 9 correctly.0003

When you write the number 1 with your child, say the name of the number "one".

To begin with, we put a point from which the writing of zirf one will begin, and then we will place subsequent points to connect with the rest. We will begin our introduction to writing the number one by writing a large version of this number. That is, on a white sheet of paper, we will write the number one in a large size, gradually reducing it in size, and then we will practice writing the number 1 in a school notebook. nine0003

It is better to pronounce and tell all classes in a playful way with a cheerful cheerful mood. The child will immediately become interested in learning numbers and figures. After all, if a fun game helps develop mathematical skills, the child will be happy to join such a game and gain new knowledge.

Plasticine will help to fix the study of the number one well. With the help of plasticine, we make the number 1 and make one circle of the same color. So we immediately involved in the lessons both fine motor skills and logical comparison numbers 1 and digits 1 .

After completing the lesson, we summarize the topic studied and praise the child for his progress in learning the number 1 and the number 1 .

Digit 2

Name the items in the picture:

• Two (spoons)
• two (mushrooms)
• two (balls)
• Two (hands)
• two (lamings)
• Two (line)
• two (thermometers)
• two (cats)
• Two (pawls)
• Two (keys)

Draw two circles and two squares with your child.

Find 2 objects in the room and ask the child to name and describe them.

Ask the child to show 2 fingers on his hand.

In the lessons on the number 2 and number 2, we will analyze the following:

1. Let's introduce the child to the number and number 2.
2. Let's learn the place of the number 2 in the series of numbers from 1 to 10.
3. Let's teach how to compare the number of objects equal to the number 2.
4. We will train writing the number 2.
5. Let's teach the child to understand the difference between the number 2 and the number 2.

In the last lesson we got acquainted with the number 1 and the number 1, now we are moving on to studying the number 2 and the number 2.

There was 1 mushroom in the basket, 1 more mushroom was put in it. As a result, there were 2 mushrooms in the basket. We speak with the child the number 2.

Digit 7

This is what the number seven looks like.

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