Do you love snow but hate the cold? Set up this adorable snowball counting activity with your class this year and bring the winter chill indoors! Learn counting, addition, subtraction, greater than and less than, counting using one to one correspondence, and many other math skills with a simple set of magnetic or felt numbers and cotton balls! They look just like snowballs! The snowball counting activity is a fun way to bring math to life during the long months of winter.
Learning About Counting:
counting 1 10 activities
ASKING STUDENTS TO COUNT OBJECTS IS AN IMPORTANT STEP NEEDED TO OBTAIN INFORMATION. STUDENTS CAN ANSWER QUESTIONS LIKE:
- Which has the most?
- Which has the least?
- How many more do I need to get to the number 5?
It’s important for children to practice count in order to understand the meaning and patterning of numbers.
The best thing about this one to one correspondence preschool activity is that you don’t need any advanced prep at all. All you need is a bag of cotton balls and a bag of magnetic or felt numbers.
You can have kids work with this alone in math centers, or you can work with the whole class using the cotton ball “snowballs” as your manipulatives for the day. Turn it into a game by using a dice to roll the numbers and solve basic math problems.
In addition to learning about one to one correspondence math activities for preschool here are some more ideas for what you can teach about using the activity :
- Addition
- Subtraction
- Greater than
- Less than
- Multiplication
- Division
What Can Preschoolers Learn From One to One Correspondence?
winter counting activities for preschool
PRACTICING ONE TO ONE CORRESPONDENCE, OR TOUCHING OBJECTS WHILE COUNTING ALOUD, IS IMPORTANT FOR CHILDREN TO HELP UNDERSTAND AND MAKE SENSE OF THEIR WORLD.
Why Is It Important For Kids To Understand Numbers?
Besides the fact that kids love hands on, fun counting activities, there are so many other reasons you should practice counting activities at home
Motor Skills
Counting and touching each object allows our kids to pick up and grasp, utilizing fine motor skills. For an added challenge, give your child plastic tweezers to grab the cotton balls.
Symbols Have Meaning
When children can see the symbol for a number and understand the amount that belongs with that symbol, they are practicing number sense. It’s important for students to match the symbol with the correct amount and oral number.
Oral Language
While your child is practicing one to one counting, they are orally saying each number and matching it with the object. Verbal counting can help increase communication skills in young children.
Problem Solving
In order to give each of your friends the same amount of cookies, you have to learn how to count and problem solve. No child wants to be on the short end of the stick when it comes to lack of cookies. Our kiddos need to think and problem solve to determine if everyone is given their fair share.
“They loved this more than Play doh. I was amazed. “
I did this today with my daycare kids. They loved this more than Play doh. I was amazed. With it being too cold to go outside, this was great. Honestly they played for 1.5 hours and probably would of longer, but we had to get lunch ready. Thank you so much for this.
How To Use This Winter Theme Activity for Preschool:
How to Use the Activity
Using the Free Number Recognition Activity
Give each child a set of numbers and a bag of cotton balls. Whatever skill they are working on, use the cotton ball snowballs to help with that activity.
The best part about these snowballs is that they will never melt and won’t freeze your hands off. You don’t even have to wear a coat to play with them!
Check out these great felt or magnetic numbers
Our Favorite Winter Theme Books:
We can’t live without these!
Once your child’s creativity is sparked with this fun activity, take it a step further with these engaging resources:
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Sneezy the Snowman
Looking For Additional Ideas On How To Use The Number Activity?
Just the Numbers
Just use the felt or magnetic numbers and see if your child can put them in the correct sequence.
Take it Outside
For our snow enthusiasts, take the activity outside and create your own real snowballs to count. What a great way to incorporate a snow theme in preschool.
Playdough Fun
Give your child additional time to work with their hands with our Christmas themed playdough counting mats.
![text saying [want more activities? Click to try these!]](https://lifeovercs.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/want-more-banner.png)
