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This post has been co-written with Ben Wolfson, a full-time educator and assistant principal in the USA.
It’s essential for kindergarten students to get their heads around counting and one to one correspondence when counting, and these squirrel ten frame mats will make mastering this skill fun and engaging!
What is One to One Correspondence?
When they’re learning to count, many preschoolers will get good at saying the numbers from 1 to 10 in order without understanding what they mean. One to one correspondence is the next skill where they are able to say one number as they touch one object; it’s the ability to accurately count a set of objects. These free printable number mats are split into ten squares, meaning that you can encourage your students to touch and count small objects accurately. To complete the perfect fall math center, use acorns, fallen leaves or pine cones on your counting mats 1-10!
Setting Up Your Fall Math Center
For this activity you will need:
Paper
Printer
Fall themed counting tokens like acorns or mini erasers
Optional: laminator
If you don’t have the materials needed, don’t sweat! You can get it delivered to your doorstep really quickly with Amazon Prime. You can get a 30-day free trial here.
These free printable number mats are a must-have in your independent fall math center rotation. Print each number full sized and laminate them for students to use over and over again. You can print them smaller, but the full sized letter paper option means you can fit more interesting fall themed objects for them to count!
Teaching with Number Mats 1-10
It can be hard to find engaging ways to teach one-to-one correspondence but these squirrel ten frame mats have a variety of possible uses:
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Count and touch with a partner – for those students who need to master accurate counting to ten, have them work with a partner and place a small fall themed object in each square in turn. As they place an object, they should say the next number in sequence out loud. The addition of the partner will slow them down and make it so that they say one number at a time.
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Use number mats 1 – 10 to start addition – once your students have the concept of one to one correspondence when counting, they can start to add single digits together. For this activity, you should work with students to add together groups of different objects. For example, lay out three red leaves and have them put one in each square. Then provide four yellow leaves and have them count on from 3 up to 7 as they add each yellow leaf. You can then help them construct the equation 3 + 4 = 7 and prove to themselves that this is true using the number mat. Addition underpins every other branch of mathematics: subtraction is just the inverse, and multiplication and division are shortcuts for repeated addition and subtraction.
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Number bonds to 10 – as your students become more confident with their addition skills, it will be time for them to master their number bonds to 10. You can use the big digit in the corner of the counting mats 1 – 10 as their starting number, and ask them how many squares or objects it would take to complete the ten frame. This will help them learn the pairs of numbers that add together to make 10 which will help them add larger numbers down the line.
Squirrel Ten Frame Mats
This game is also available as digital Boom Cards which can be used with Seesaw, Google Classroom and other distance learning platforms. Grab these Internet task cards here.
If you’re looking for more fall activities, check out my pack of 10 Fall Leaves and Acorns Themed Literacy and Math Centers.
Other Fall Printables You’ll Love:
1) Fall Printable Worksheets Pack – 50-page pack for your little one to practice letter recognition, writing, counting, tracing, coloring and so much more.
2) Fall Leaves Number Sorting – Sort out the leaves and find which numbered tree they came from to practice number recognition, reading number words, and count with ten frames.
3) Fall Leaves Pick and Cover Letters – Pick a letter card then find and cover it on the playing mat.
4) Count and Compare Acorns – Your child will count and compare the groups of acorns to help the squirrel chose the bigger one.
5) Acorn Tracing Lines – Practice fine motor skills with these 4 different acorn-themed worksheets to help the squirrel grab the acorn!
6) Scarecrow Sums to 10 – So quick to set up in just a few minutes, you can sit back and relax while your preschooler or kindergartener has fun learning to solve simple sums to 10.
7) Scarecrow Number Tracing Strips – Combine fine motor practice with early math skills in this scarecrow-themed game to practice writing numbers 1 to 10.
8) Scarecrow Arrange By Size – Develop early math skills with these 3 scarecrow-themed image sets to arrange from smallest to biggest.
Educational Tools For Your Classroom:
Browse My Most Popular Math Printables:
1) Parking Cars Tracing Lines – More than 10 different tracing line patterns to choose from, all of which help with pencil control.
2) Scarecrow Arrange By Size – 3 different scarecrow-themed image sets that they will arrange from smallest to biggest.
3) Bumblebee Addition Game – Solve the sum and help the bee land on the correct flower!
4) Farm Shapes Mats – Use playdough, pompoms, stickers etc to learn 2D shapes.
5) Popsicle Stick Number Formation – Kids will love forming the numbers 1 to 10 when ice cream and popsicles are involved!
6) Valentines Printable Worksheets Pack – 50 pages of mixed literacy and math activities.
7) Zoo Animals Number Puzzle Strips – Complete these cute puzzles and learn the numbers 1 to 20.
8) Counting Colorful Bugs – This printable book will help kids count to 10 while also learning about color words.
9) Humpty Dumpty Numbers – In this printable game, your students will practice number recognition using 1 dice or simple addition when using 2 dice.
10) Build A Number Santa – Match the number to the correct number word, tally mark and domino to form a Santa Claus
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Related posts:
Fall Leaves Number Sorting
Construction Counting Mats 1-10
Adorable Apple Number Words to 20 Game
Flower Measurement Cards for Non-Standard and Standard Length
Help the Christmas Elf with 3D Shape Recognition
Turkey Number Words 1 to 20 (3 Part Cards)
Scarecrow Number Tracing Strips
Telling Fun Stories With Word Problems For Kindergarten
