Hibernation Math Activities for Preschool

Hibernation is a natural process that helps some animals survive the winter months. Preschoolers love learning about animals that hibernate. Presenting a wide variety of hibernation math activities for preschool will keep your preschoolers having fun and learning fun facts about hibernation and animals that take a LONG winter’s nap!

Add these six math hibernation activities for preschoolers to your math activities for preschoolers this fall. Your young kiddos will love learning fun hibernation facts, while they practice a big range of fundamental preschool math skills! They will be having so much fun, they will NOT want to take a LONG nap….trust me!

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Hibernation Activities

As the leaves start to change color and the weather gets cooler, it’s time to start thinking about hibernation activities for preschoolers!

Hibernation is defined in a variety of ways, but a basic way to explain it is:

Hibernation is when animals have deep sleep during winter. Their breathing and heart rate slow way down to save energy and their body temperature drops. It is also fun to simply say that the animals take a LONG nap!!

Hibernation is a bit of a mystery to us, and is so fascinating! Kids and adults alike are intrigued by the topic. It is a fun thematic unit to help teach about animals in winter. You can tie it in to your winter themed math and literacy activities.

Hibernation is a great theme to get kids interested in math. There are so many ways to get inspired in your teaching. There are endless possibilities for hibernation activities that will get kids excited about learning math!

The perfect partner to the fun hibernation math activities presented here is my Hibernation Literacy and Math Centers bundle. I designed these to help you create a hibernation themed unit of study. The best part is that they are ready to go, fun, and super easy to set up and use!

Hibernation Examples

When we think of hibernation, many of us automatically think of bears, slumbering winter away in their cozy dens. There are many other animals that hibernate, though.

We often just think of mammals, but there are also some reptiles, amphibians, and insects that hibernate. There are many animals that you might not even realize are part of the winter hibernation group!

Some animals that hibernate include:

• bears
• badgers
• squirrels
• groundhogs
• mice
• prairie dogs
• skunks
• bats
• hedehogs
• snakes
• turtles
• gila monsters
• frogs
• bees
• butterflies
• ladybug
• …..and many more!

Kids LOVE real pictures of animals! Our friends at The Natural Homeschool have free printable cards with real images of hibernating animals. These cards can be used in a variety of ways, including basic matching activities or memory games.

Hibernation Theme for Preschool

A hibernation theme for preschoolers is not only fun, it is packed with lots of learning and new facts. One of my favorite things to do is to integrate teaching across the curriculum.

I created these hibernation math activities as a means of teaching kids all about hibernation, while also teaching basic preschool math skills.

These hibernation activities for preschoolers feature one activity from each of the five disciplines of math. The five disciplines are:

• number sense
• algebra
• geometry
• measurement
• data analysis and probability

Excellent and effective hibernation theme preschool lesson plans will include all of those disciplines.

On the outset, these disciplines don’t look age appropriate, but early childhood experts are consistently emphasizing their importance in preschool.

What’s better than one math activity about hibernation?

Six of them!

These printables will help you prepare for your upcoming hibernation preschool theme by covering all five disciplines in a fun, engaging way.

Books About Hibernation for Preschoolers

What animals do to survive the winter months is fascinating to children. Build on that curiosity and excitement with these carefully curated children’s books about hibernation.

Hibernation Math Activities for Preschool

These hibernation themed activities are sure to be a huge hit with your preschoolers. They will not only learn about bears hibernating, but also frogs, toads, snakes, bats, bees, squirrels and hedgehogs.

I find that a hibernation theme is the perfect time to transition my preschoolers to learning about spiders and insects in preparation for Halloween.

Pond Hibernation Roll & Add Mats (Algebra)

Who hibernates at the pond? Many frogs hibernate by burrowing under the mud and sleeping during the winter months.

In this hibernation activity for kindergarten and preschool, students roll two dice and identify the quantity on the dice. They then add the corresponding quantity on the ten frame and add the two together. Use the two dice included in the printable so preschoolers can add up to ten, and not more.

Leaves & Acorns Vertical Patterning Cards (Algebra) 

How do animals prepare for the winter? By collecting things to eat and making nests in their burrows, dens, and tree nooks.

These fall-based pattern cards provide an extra challenge to preschoolers. They are vertical and not horizontal. So, preschoolers will learn how to read down the pattern strip.

This helps in pre-reading skills in that when reading english, we not only read left to right, but also top to bottom on the paper. These pattern strips are also read top to bottom.

Hibernating Animals Preschool Activity

Hibernating Bats Measurement Cards (Measurement)

Sleeping bears aren’t the only animals that hibernate. Bats do too! These non-spooky hanging bats make a fun measurement activity for preschoolers.

Use any kind of non-standard measurement and invite your preschooler to see how long each bat is. Preschoolers can also sequence these cards according to height, or play comparison games, too. These cards will also work their fine motor skills.

Hibernation Activities for Toddlers

Animal Homes Shape Matching Cards (Geometry)

There’s something especially curious about where animals live in the winter while they are hibernating. These shape matching cards feature various animal homes such as a bear cave, a bee hive, tree hole, and a den.

Hibernation Math Activities

Hibernating Bees Race to the Top (Data Analysis)

Did you know that bees also hibernate, like many other insects? In the hibernating bees race to the top game, preschoolers roll a die with different bees on it, and then place a counter in the corresponding column on the graph.

It is a wonderful hands-on activity that helps teach data analysis during your preschool hibernation unit of study!

Winter Animals Math Activities

Hibernation Building Number Mats (Number Sense)

Number sense is a critical piece in teaching preschool math. These building number mats encourage preschoolers to identify quantities in various forms. Preschoolers match the numeral with tally marks and ten frame counting.

These pieces can also be added to a preschool hibernation sensory bin to make it even more fun, but they definitely fit in well with your preschool counting centers.

Hibernating Bears

Bears are the iconic animals of the hibernation world. It is so fun learning about bears and their hibernation habits. Preschoolers especially love setting up their own stuffed teddy bears for a long cozy winter’s nap.

Packed with lots of activities to help your preschoolers learn about hibernation with bears and other animals, be sure to check out my free hibernation lesson plans for preschool!

Get Your Hibernation Math Activities Here

Think these hibernation activities for preschoolers are a must-have for your math centers this fall? Grab them below!

Sarah Punkoney, MAT

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.

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