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This post has been co-written with Ben Wolfson, a full-time educator and assistant principal in the USA.
Fall is a great time in the kindergarten classroom for learning number words, and these apple theme math clip cards will engage your students as they get to grips with this new skill. You’ll quickly hear the buzz in the room as the bright colors and limited choices lead to instant success and the request to repeat this number words to 20 game!
Matching Numbers to Words
There are many reasons why it’s essential for kindergarteners to be able to read both the numerals and words to 20. Firstly, they will appear in many different reading settings and word problems in their school career. Secondly, learning number words helps with pronunciation as they’ll see the sounds that they’re meant to be making. Finally, matching numbers to words helps students to continue to order and organize their number sense in their minds.
How To Prepare Apple Number Words to 20 Game
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This great apple theme math clip cards set prints out at one card per page so you definitely want one full set as you teach students how to use it. As students start to practice independently, you can shrink to two or even four to a page as the large friendly font will still work. If you’re looking to do one or more of the extension tasks mentioned below, you should print extra copies that you can harvest for more words.
Learning Number Words with Math Clip Cards
These apple theme math clip cards make for a great independent check-in or a partnered number words to 20 game. As with all great resources, their beauty is in their simplicity which allows them to be used at a variety of levels:
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Pick from three – when you first introduce these cards that have the numerals and words to 20, you will want to keep them as they are when you print so that each student only has three possible choices to pick from, all within a sensible range. Students can then either put a paper clip showing their choice or mark the paper somehow, especially if you’ve laminated them for repeated use. This simple activity will build initial skill.
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Make them talk – once students have mastered the basic matching numbers to words task, you can expand the complexity by turning it into a number words to 20 game. You need to cut each card in half and put a colored dot so that both students are working with half of the same card. Then have the student with the number read it out loud and their partner has to show which number they heard. Not only does this help with matching words to sounds, but you get to teach turn taking and celebrating each other’s successes.
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Expand the choices – finally, as students become more confident with learning number words, you can cut up multiple cards to give them a bigger and unknown mix of words to choose from. Start by cutting a set of the words that has all the numbers, and then give the student three random words. Up the challenge by giving them more words, and a final assessment could include having them play one more, one less with the words or putting all twenty words in order.