This delightful number mats printable has a festive scarecrow theme that is perfect for fall-themed lessons. These mats help build various skills including number recognition, counting, set-building, and recognizing number words. Start with the easier skills and allow your child to progress to the more difficult skills as their number knowledge improves.
Materials You’ll need to Use the Scarecrow Number Mat Printable
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- Printable number mats (you can get them at the bottom of the page)
- Moldable craft supplies (like these wax sticks or gluten-free play dough)
- Counters (try these 3-D pumpkin mini-erasers to keep with the theme)
- Laminating sheets (optional)
Step-by-Step Guide
Start by printing and laminating the number mats. I’m not a huge fan of laminating sheets. And of course, you don’t HAVE to laminate them, but you will be limiting the ways these mats can be used if you don’t
For less environmental impact these write-and-wipe pockets are a pretty good alternative. They still allow you to use dry-erase markers and other similar tools. You will just have to move each card to the front of the pocket as you are ready to use it.
Once you are ready to use the mat, start by helping your child read the number word at the top of the mat. Although they can’t read it themselves, this step will help them learn to recognize and eventually read the word independently. And don’t worry, not being able to read is typical for kids in preschool and kindergarten.
Next, grab some play dough or wax sticks for your students to fill in the number outline located just under the number word. If you laminate the mats, they can also use a dry-erase marker to color in the number, which may be the cheapest option.
Next, ask the kids to identify the correct number from a group of three. This helps them practice number recognition in a fun way. Then, they can count all the adorable scarecrows on the mat and build a corresponding set.
Building the set using scarecrow mini-erasers is a great way to stick with the theme, but any counters will work. These are pretty small though, so I don’t recommend using them with kids who are still putting things in their mouths. For those kids, let them draw faces using a dry-erase marker instead.
Finally, have your kids trace the number word (at the bottom of the mat) using either a finger or a dry-erase marker. This gives them even more practice with recognizing number words.
Adapting These Number Mats For Individual Needs
For kids who have difficulty handling small objects, consider using a bingo dauber or dot marker to build sets. These markers are usually thicker and easier to hold, making them a good alternative to small counters.
For children who are just starting out, try our simple matching game. These cards use the same adorable scarecrow theme, but instead of having to build their own sets, the students match sets to numbers.
This is much less overwhelming and an easier skill for starting out. You can also add hook and loop dots to the back of these cards to use them with a felt board.
