Valentine’s Day is coming up, so we have hearts on the brain! This year, I’m adding these FREE Valentine’s counting cards. They use a ten frame format, making it easier for your little one to develop number sense skills. Whether you’re a preschool or kindergarten teacher, a homeschooling parent, or a grandparent, your little ones are sure to enjoy these Valentine’s ten frame math counting cards!
Hearts here! Hearts there! Hearts, hearts everywhere!
***I am excited to join some of my favorite kid bloggers to bring you a bunch of heart activities, all tidy enough to fit into a quiet bin. Be sure to catch them all at the bottom of this post!***
It’s time for Valentine’s Day activities, which means we have hearts all over the place, including in our Valentine’s ten frame counting cards!
My preschoolers love them. In February, we always do a friendship preschool theme where we learn how being loving, kind, and caring makes us good and happy friends!
Hearts are just the perfect way to embrace that. They are easily recognized by preschoolers, and these counting cards come in all the traditional Valentine-y colors.
Be sure to grab your free copy of the counting cards at the end of this post!
Valentine’s Ten Frame Math Cards
As a seasoned teacher, I really appreciate the ten frame model. As a real-life person, I appreciate the organization that the ten frame model offers…cause I’m kinda’ an organization freak. Not quite, but close.
Anyway, teaching in ten frames is not the only way, but it is an effective way to teach counting and number sense.
Materials
- laminator
- heavy card stock
- Valentine-y counters (red buttons, acrylic hearts, pink pom-poms for example)
- free printable at the end of this post
The Set-Up
Print the download on heavy card stock and laminate. Place on a tray with some counters and invite your preschooler to join you for some Valentine theme fun!
OR…you can place all the materials in a zip top baggie and pull it out at quiet time!
Three Additional Ways to Use Ten Frame Math Cards
As parents and preschool teachers, we are blessed to teach children who come to us with unique skills, and those skills may be quite varied. We never can count on the idea of children developmentally or academically being right exactly where it is convenient for us.
So…let me tell you some different ways to use these counting cards so that you can more easily meet the need of multiple children without having to create completely different activities.
- Invite your preschooler to find a matching numbers of items to the number on the card. For example, find seven crayons to match the seven hearts.
- Have your preschooler count the corresponding number of counters off the counting card, then use the counting card to check work.
- Invite your preschooler to count each number on the card with their fingers after completing the card the traditional way.
Want More Heart Activities?
Then check out these great heart activities for preschoolers! (And don’t forget to keep scrolling to get your FREE Valentine counting cards, too!)
p style=”text-align: center;”>FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:
Play Dough Heart Decorating Kit // Simple Play Ideas
Valentines 10 Frame Counting Cards // Stay at Home Educator
Heart Lacing Busy Bag // Coffee Cups & Crayons
Heart Faces Busy Bag // Powerful Mothering
Counting Hearts Busy Bag // Teach Me Mommy
Name Recognition Alphabet Hearts // Modern Preschool
Grab Your Own Copy of Valentine’s Ten Frame Counting Cards!
Think your preschoolers will enjoy these ten frame counting cards? You can grab your own copy by clicking the image below!
Want more printable Valentine’s activities?
Then check out my Valentine’s Printable Activity Pack, and since St. Patrick’s Day will be here before you know it, you should take a look at that one, too! 😉
Click on the images below for more details.
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
I wanted to say thanks for all your free printables, my budget is so tight! I own an affordable homepreschool, that provides afterschool support for a 1st grader also.! In reference to the latter these 10frames are perfect b/c he’s needing review for common core! Happy Valentines! Stay blessed! Of course I can use them for the preschoolers also but I just like needed the 10frames like yesterday! LOL
love the idea