Back to School Math Activities for Preschoolers
As the school year kicks off, it’s the perfect time to introduce fun and engaging back to school math activities to help preschoolers develop early math skills. One of the best math activities for preschoolers is using crayon counting cards—an interactive and visual way for little learners to practice their numbers.
These simple yet effective cards encourage preschoolers to count, recognize numbers, and even begin basic addition and subtraction. Ready to make math fun this school year?
As the summer comes to a close and preschoolers prepare to head back to school, many educators are looking for ways to review math concepts. After all, preschool is an important time for developing foundational skills in all areas, including math.
When adding math activities to our preschool lesson plans during the first week of school, we have to consider some of the following.
- Does my preschooler have number recognition skills?
- Can they practice counting on their own?
- Do they count with one-to-one correspondence?
- Can they order numbers?
- Do they work with fine motor skills?
These are just some of the questions I ask myself when getting a fresh group of young children in my preschool classroom.
Read this: Free Number Formation Cards for Preschoolers.
Typically, a new group of preschoolers will have an incredibly wide variety of math skills, so simple math activities for preschoolers can provide a lot of insight the first few weeks of school.
Having ready-to-go materials for daily counting lessons and daily addition and subtraction lessons is sure to help start your year off with ease!
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Skilled Developed Through Crayon Counting Cards
Using crayon counting cards offers preschoolers valuable practice in early math skills. These activities build confidence and excitement for learning numbers.
Number Recognition
Recognizing numbers is the first step in early math learning. These crayon counting cards help children associate numerals with their spoken names. As they engage with the cards, encourage them to say each number aloud.
Counting and One-to-One Correspondence
Counting objects while saying the numbers out loud helps preschoolers develop one-to-one correspondence. This means they understand that each object they count represents one number. Use real crayons or small counters to extend this activity and make counting more concrete.
Addition
There are some readiness skills you will want to make sure that your preschoolers have mastered before they start working on addition. Some of these will be obvious as you observe them working with the crayon counting cards!
Before introducing addition, students should typically be able to:
- Count out loud from 1-10 (at least)
- Identify and name numerals 0-10 (at least)
- Demonstrate an understanding of one-to-one correspondence
- Count objects one at a time, using the correct number name for each object (at least up to 10)
- Show what a number means using counters and match it to its numeral (ie: count five blocks and identify that the numeral 5 represents that group of objects)
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Math Activities For Back To School
Hands-on learning activities are just the right thing to add to your back-to-school activities for preschoolers. Be sure to grab your FREE printable at the end of this post!
What’s Included
- Crayon counting cards numbered 1–10
- Colorful crayon box illustrations with corresponding numbers
- Extra symbols for simple math practice
Additional Materials
- Laminator (optional for durability)
- Dry-erase markers
- Scissors
- Crayons or small counters
The Set-Up
- Store them in a small container for easy access.
- Print the crayon counting cards.
- Laminate them for long-term use (optional).
- Cut out the individual cards.
How to Teach Counting Using Crayon Counting Cards
Kick off the school year (or any time of year) with fun and engaging back to school math activities for preschoolers using crayon counting cards!
Step 1: Introduce the Activity
The more straightforward way to use these counting cards is simply:
- Draw a card.
- Identify the number on the cards.
- Count the number of crayons.
- Count the corresponding number of real crayons from the tray.
Preschoolers do twice the counting with these cards. But, they are practicing two different counting skills.
When counting the crayons printed on the cards, preschoolers are counting a set. However, pulling a specific quantity of crayons from a larger set is a different counting skill. Both are important for developing number sense.
Step 2: Hands-On Counting Practice
- Have children select a card and count the crayons out loud.
- Encourage them to match real crayons to the number on the card.
- Use the additional symbols to introduce simple math problems.
Read this: Free Back to School Printable Dominos.
Addition Activities For Preschoolers
Also included with these cards are the signs, +, -, and =. These can be used for teaching addition to preschoolers, and for those who are ready, subtraction, too.
Math Small Group Activities for Preschoolers
For this, you will want to separate the cards into higher and lower numbers, and possibly remove some of the larger numbers.
Most preschoolers can learn to add and subtraction up to five before entering kindergarten, but it is not a required skill.
- Draw a card and lay it on the table.
- Place a + or – sign next.
- Draw a second card. (If practicing subtraction, make sure the first number is larger).
- Place the = card next.
- Invite your preschooler to identify the numbers in the layout and count out a set of crayons to solve.
Math Activities for Preschoolers
Your Pre-K kiddos very likely may be ready for some solid addition practice. Addition worksheets for continuous practice can be the perfect addition (see what I did there?) to your curriculum.
I wanted to provide access to some FREE printable addition worksheets, so you have some ready to go, once your kiddos are ready to add:
- FREE Printable Pumpkin Addition Worksheets for Preschoolers
- Free Kindergarten Addition Worksheets
- Add the Dots Addition Free Printable Worksheets
- Apple Addition Matching Puzzles
- Apple Math Worksheets
Get Your Free Crayon Counting Cards Here
These counting cards can be used during small group work, but you can also add them to your preschool math centers. And of course, keep them with your back-to-school theme activities!
FAQ: Back-to-School Math Activities for Preschoolers
Back-to-school math activities help preschoolers ease into learning routines while introducing or reinforcing essential math concepts like counting and shapes.
Some fun ideas include counting games with objects, shape recognition activities, and simple pattern-building exercises using blocks or everyday items.
Doing math activities at the start of the school year helps preschoolers ease into a learning routine while reinforcing key foundational skills. Back-to-school math activities can gauge where each child stands in their understanding of numbers, counting, and other early math concepts. They also help build confidence and excitement about learning, making the transition into the school year smoother and more engaging.
Math Counting Picture Books for Preschoolers
Every preschool classroom needs an abundance of adorable math counting picture books for circle time and math and literacy connections. We have hand-selected some counting books that would be great for using with your back to school math activities!
- Ann, Kim (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 31 Pages – 05/31/2024 (Publication Date) – Lucky Four Press (Publisher)
- Carle, Eric (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 20 Pages – 07/16/1996 (Publication Date) – World of Eric Carle (Publisher)
- Pallotta, Jerry (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 10 Pages – 05/02/2017 (Publication Date) – Charlesbridge (Publisher)
- The Coin Counting Book Rozanne Lanczak Williams Paperback
- Williams, Rozanne Lanczak (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Katz, Karen (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 01/01/2003 (Publication Date) – Little Simon (Publisher)
I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m 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 a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of 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.
