Math skill: recognizing and reading numbers 0-5

Age: 4 - 5

Number of students: 3

Content standards: 1.PK.3a Recognize and read numerals 0 - 5

Objectives: After participating in this activity, students should be able to

1. Recognize the numbers 0 - 5

2. Count from 0 - 5

3. Have practice with their motor skill

Materials: blue construction paper

cotton balls

Activity: On the blue construction paper, write down numbers zero to five. Place the construction

paper around the table and put cotton balls in the middle of the table. Have the students sit at the

table. Explain numbers to them. Zero meaning there is nothing and up until the number 5. Each

number on the paper means the number of snowballs that will be placed on it. The students will

then grab the cotton balls and place however many “snowballs” the paper says.

What happened: With this activity, the children did not seem to have fun but they did fantastic.

Now, that sounds great but I believe that this activity was too easy for them. I started my lesson

by asking them if they know how to count. All three of the students said yes and started counting

immediately. I encouraged them to count some more and to my great surprise, they were able to

count up to 11. As I set up my materials, the children were wandering around the room. Once I

have finished, I called them back to the table and explained to them that there are numbers
written on the paper and they must put however many snowballs there are, taking them from the

middle of the table and counting them one by one. The students did it so easily and quickly.

What next: One to five may have been too easy so maybe next time that I do this type of activity,

it would be more than one to five. I might have to go a little higher on the numerals.

Source: Fun - a - Day https://fun-a-day.com/preschool-winter-math-counting-snowballs/

MESSAGE IN
A BACKPACK
COUNTING

For today’s math class, we learned how to count from zero to

five. For the weekend, can you please help me remember my
numbers?
Learning how to count at home is fun and
easy!
1: Invite your little one in the kitchen to
help you set up the table for dinner. Count
how many plates, spoons, forks, bowls, cups,
etc., are needed to be put on the table

2. When it is clean up
time, encourage the child to count their
toys as they are putting it away.

3. When walking to the car

from school or walking inside
the house from the car, have your child count
their steps and their skips and their hops