Did you ever stick a clothespin to your face? I have never really understood the attraction to it, but I also don’t know anyone who didn’t do that as a child. I even know people who thought that it was a contest of how cool they were to see how many clothespins they could attach to their ears, nose, lips and anywhere else they could clip them on. Let’s just say it was a cool science experiment…. If you would like your kids to use clothespins for a more productive use, these three free winter math activities for preschool using clothespins are a great option. As the newest addition to our free preschool activities, you can practice matching and counting skills with this low-prep set. A great, interactive alternative to math worksheets so that you can keep your kids engaged in the learning process!
Winter Math Activities for Preschool
Counting To 10 and Picture Matching Clip Cards
There are three sets of clip cards included in this winter math activities set.
- Matching picture to picture (visual discrimination)
- Matching numeral to ten-frame
- Matching numeral to an array
Simply chose the set that best fits your child’s needs.
With some prompting, you can also work on language skills with the visual discrimination set. Talk about colors, matching BIG to small, ask why questions such as “Why do we wear mittens?” to encourage your child to take their learning a step further.
Why clip cards?
There are so many ways to engage your kids in active learning. Board games, card games, worksheets, independent play and more. Each one serves a specific and useful means of learning. Games encourage good sportsmanship and learning to take turns, worksheets are a quick tool for building handwriting skills, independent play draws from all the learning experiences a child has and allows them to demonstrate those skills.
So what do clip cards contribute to the learning process?
Clip cards (clothespin cards) are aimed at developing fine motor skills along with the specific academic skill they are addressing.
They involve motor planning to hold the card with one hand and use the pincer grasp to open and place the clothespin on the correct answer.
While that seems so simple to an adult. That is an advanced skill for a preschooler.
Not only that, but using clip cards allows the child to focus on the question being asked without being distracted by ten more problems on the page. They are the perfect learning tool for a child who struggles with focus (let’s be real…every preschooler…lol!)
By placing a small dot on the back of the card behind the correct answer, you can turn clip cards into a self-correcting tool. After the student has answered the question, they can flip the card to see if they got it right.
While clip cards are not the most interactive learning activity available, they are still incredibly beneficial to every student!
This winter math activity set provides 3 fun clip card activities for your preschoolers.
So you can work on building your preschoolers matching and counting skills, while also encouraging independence and building fine motor skills.
Materials needed for the Winter Clip Cards for Preschoolers:
Paper | Laminating Pouches | Laminator | Scissors | Clothes Pins
To prep: Print, laminate and cut apart the clip cards.
To make the activities self-correcting, place a small dot directly behind the correct answers prior to laminating.
To use: Have the students use clothespins to mark the correct answer on the cards.
You can vary the fine-motor aspect of this activity by using various sizes of clothespins.
Use traditional large clothespins to start and use smaller clothespins for an additional challenge. If you have a student who is ready for a bigger challenge, you can switch to paper clips.
100 Natural Wood Clothespins
200 Mini Wooden Clothespins50 Wood Craft Spring Clothespins Assorted Colors100 Painted Wood Clothespins
Get Your Winter Clip Cards for Preschool here.
Kelley says
Thank you for the Winter Clip cards! I will be printing them right away.