Stay At Home Educator

intentional teaching for purposeful learning

  • About
    • Copyright / Disclosure / Privacy Policy
    • Contact
  • Preschool Lesson Plans
  • Literacy
  • STEAM
  • Thematic Activities
  • Shop
    • Cart
    • Checkout
    • My Account

39 Hands-on Counting Activities for Preschoolers

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that at no cost to you, I may earn a small sum if you click through and make a purchase.

June 3, 2019 by Sarah Punkoney, MAT

Of all the number sense skills, teaching counting is always a priority. Here are 39 hands-on counting activities for preschoolers and toddlers.

This post contains lots of links to free printables, so be sure to grab them all!

Counting Activities and Counting Printables for Preschoolers

Of all number sense, it is critical to teach preschool children counting! These are 39 FUN, engaging and simple counting activities for preschoolers.

In my preschool classroom, we do a lot of tasks multiple times and even more tasks regularly.

We have routines.

Upon arrival, students take off their shoes and place them in a basket. After name practice children gather at the circle time area to read stories. We do group work after free choice centers. We enjoy a snack before playing outside.

These are just a handful of a few very simple routines that add a huge amount of predictability in our preschool day, but this is not a post about establishing preschool routines. This is a post about developing counting skills in preschoolers.

Why do I bring this up?

Because practicing counting in one important piece we add to so many of our preschool routines.

Fro example, we count to twenty as we wash our hands before snack. We count how many plates or bowl as we need, how many napkins and cups, too. Then we count grapes or scoops of trail mix or carrot sticks or whatever as we add them to our plates. Sometimes the children even count as they eat their snacks. And then we count as we wash our hands after snack.

We do this because not only do children have a natural propensity for organizing and counting, but also because the basic foundation of math is understanding numbers and quantities (or number sense), is through handling objects and counting them. 

We practice so much counting in preschool because not only is it a perfectly developmentally appropriate skill, but it is just so easy to add to just about every preschool routine, too!

Counting Activities and Printables for Preschoolers

For your convenience, I’ve divided these counting activities for preschoolers into two basic categories. Those with printables and those without.

Hands-On Counting Activities for Preschoolers

Counting and snack time has never been more with with this marshmallow snowballs counting activity. Can’t use food in preschool? No worries! Try this activity with pom poms.

Ghosts and ghouls have never been so fun as this Halloween counting game that teaches composing ten.

Preschoolers love planting a vegetable garden with this healthy eating counting game!

This pumpkin counting game combines fall themes, counting, and water play all in one!

Got a set of apple mini erasers? This post has 6 different counting activities for your apple theme!

6 Different apple activities for teaching counting and other math skills for preschoolers.

Add some process art to your counting work with this fun fireworks counting game perfect for celebrating the 4th of July!

It’s amazing to see what preschoolers can learn with a little playdough and some math materials in this math invitation to play.

Use clean up time as a way to teach your preschoolers concepts of ten.

Here’s another fun counting activity perfect for snack time. Use it as a color sorting activity, too!

Make a corn cob with this fall or farm themed counting game. Or add it to your Thanksgiving preschool theme for a non-turkey art activity.

Corn on the cob is a summer staple in our house. How fun is this counting activity that is perfect for summer and even fall, a farm theme or food groups!

Egg carton counting is an easy way to teach one-to-one correspondence and can be adapted to any preschool theme.

And this math activity is a crazy simple way to introduce your preschooler to addition and subtraction during counting practice.

Free Counting Printables for Preschoolers

Studying bugs and butterflies this year? Then you need to add this Butterfly Counting Printable 0-20 to your preschool math centers.

Feed the Bunny Counting Printable is such a funny way to celebrate Easter as your preschoolers will love “munching” on carrots.

Start off you spring theme with these beautiful Gardening Ten Frame Counting Cards.

Learn about kindness and friendship with these heart grid games.

These 6 rainbow themed math activities are a fun way for young children to practice a ton of math skills!

Rainbows are so colorful and bright. This is the perfect colorful counting activity for preschoolers! This will also help strengthen fine motor skills as well!

Preschoolers will have extra fun practicing number formation with these number cards! They can be used with any theme.

Add some playdough sensory play with these pumpkin counting cards.

Watch out for the sneaky squirrel in this silly fall counting game.

Have a train fanatic in your preschool? Try this rainbow train counting and graphing game. Your little conductor is sure to adore it!

Add lots of gross motor fun to your dinosaur theme with this 10 Little Dinosaurs Song and printable puppets.

If your kiddo loves dinosaurs, this is such a fun counting activity and songs! Puppets and all.

Apple drop counting is another simple game that teaches preschoolers about concepts of ten and one-to-one correspondence.

These heart themed ten frame cards pair perfecting with a Valentine’s or friendship theme.

Or print off these Thanksgiving counting cards to add to your Thanksgiving preschool theme.

Farmer Brown has Five Red Apples is always a favorite preschool counting song. Print off your copy!

Teach more and less concepts with these strawberry lemonade counting mats. Or add them to your lemonade stand dramatic play center.

Teaching more or less is an important math skills for kids to learn. How fun is this Strawberry Lemonade activity!!

It’s a Zoo! is a fun counting board game that also teaches graphing concepts.

Add some play dough fun to your desert theme with these Cactus Number Formation Cards.

These 5 Little Fishies counting mats are so fun for an ocean theme. Add them to your snack time routine, too!

This collecting bugs game introduces preschoolers to basic addition skills!

3-2-1 Blast off to space with these space themed grid games.

Help the astronaut get to the moon with these bright and colorful counting grids!

Try these 5 Little Gingerbread Men counting mats for hours of Christmas counting fun.

This apple seed counting game works on fine motor skills while teaching one-to-one correspondence.

More Preschool Counting Printables

Having trouble keeping your preschoolers on task when using the balancing scale? Try these counting bears task cards.

Nothing but number identification and counting skills in this pack of 12 activities!

Or get your counting activities laid out for three entire months with these 0-20 counting lesson plans.

Want something more advanced? Try these addition and subtraction lesson plans.

Get both math and literacy activities in any of my holiday activity packs. Then take a look for more math activities in my thematic activity packs.

. 

. 

This is the ultimate list of preschool counting activities. Hands-on activities and free counting activities for preschoolers, too!
This is the ultimate list of preschool counting activities. Hands-on activities and free counting activities for preschoolers, too!
This is the ultimate list of preschool counting activities. Hands-on activities and free counting activities for preschoolers, too!
This is the ultimate list of preschool counting activities. Hands-on activities and free counting activities for preschoolers, too!
This is the ultimate list of preschool counting activities. Hands-on activities and free counting activities for preschoolers, too!
This is the ultimate list of preschool counting activities. Hands-on activities and free counting activities for preschoolers, too!
Sarah Punkoney, MAT

I am Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home mama of five! I am the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught range of levels, including preschool and college, and a little bit of just about everything in between. Right now, my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction

stayathomeeducator.com/

You might also enjoy:

Teach Teen Numbers to Preschoolers with FREE Butterfly Counting Printable Thanksgiving Counting Cards Fall Themed Number Order Puzzles for Preschoolers Ice Cream Cone Number and Counting Activites

Filed Under: Number Sense Tagged With: counting activities, counting cards, free printables, Number Identification and Counting, Number Sense, one to one correspondence, Printables, teen numbers

« 5 Beach Theme Printables Plus FREE Prewriting Cards Printable
3 Summer Theme Beginning Sound Activities for Preschoolers »

Trackbacks

  1. Playdough Recipe Without Cream of Tartar + Learning Activities says:
    September 5, 2019 at 5:32 am

    […] materials good for counting and adding to […]

  2. Pumpkin Seed Counting and Craft for Preschoolers says:
    November 10, 2019 at 11:21 am

    […] your preschooler has had a good amount of counting fun, you can choose to make the pumpkin craft OR skip below to the pumpkin […]

Search This Site

Stay Connected

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Find preschool printables at the Stay at Home Educator on Teachers Pay Teachers buy learn with play book and ebook

PRINTABLE SHOP
PLANNING
LITERACY
MATH
DEVELOPMENT
THEMES
PLAY
Visit Sarah @ Stay At Home Educator's profile on Pinterest.
Stay At Home Educator

© Copyright 2015 Foodie Pro Theme · Genesis Framework · Customizations by Kara Carrero ·

Wordpress