I just stumbled upon a fantastic outdoor activity that’s perfect for the little ones this spring—foam flower counting! It’s an absolute hit for toddlers and preschoolers who are just beginning to learn their numbers and need a bit of practice with fine motor skills. Not only is it educational, but it’s also super colorful and fun, ideal for those sunny spring days when you want to enjoy the outdoors.
We’ve been looking for ways to keep the kids engaged and learning without sticking to the usual indoor routines, and this activity has been a game changer. It involves counting simple foam flowers and sticking them on a window! Doesn’t get much more fun than that!
What’s more, it’s really easy to set up. A few sheets of colorful foam, some markers, water and spray bottle and you’re good to go. You can make it as simple or complex as you like, depending on the age of your kids. So, grab your crafting supplies and let’s make learning a playful, outdoor adventure!
Foam Flower Counting: Fun Fine Motor & Math Activity for Spring
Material List
- Colorful foam sheets (various colors for flowers, brown for the flower pot)
- Spray bottle filled with water
- Scissors
- Black permanent marker
Directions
- Create Your Foam Flowers:
- Start by drawing and cutting out flower shapes from the colorful foam sheets. You’ll need one flower for each number you plan to teach, typically 1-10 for toddlers and preschoolers. Vary the types of flowers you create. Cut the stems out separately from green foam sheets as well as leaves for each flower. Finally cut out a flower pot
- Make a Foam Flower Pot:
- Cut out a flower pot shape from the brown foam sheet. This will serve as the base where the numbered flowers will be organized.
- Use the black permanent marker to write a number on each flower pot. Try to make the numbers large and clear for easy recognition.
- Play and Learn:
- Hand your preschoolers or kindergartner a spray bottle filled with water and head outside to a large glass door or window that they can reach safely. Invite them to spray the window with some water and then stick the numbered flower pots in it. They will immediately stick! Encourage your child to stick the flower pot in numerical order. This is a great way to practice number recognition and sequential order.
- Next show your child how to spray a little water just above the numbered flower pots and then count and stick that number of flowers on the window.
Tips for Success
- Ensure the foam is wet enough to stick but not so wet that the numbers run. A light mist is perfect.
- For younger children, focus on numbers 1-5 before introducing higher numbers.
Share Your Crafting Moments
We’d love to see how your Foam Flower Counting turns out! Please share your photos and experiences in our “Share Your Crafting Moments” section or on social media. It’s always inspiring to see how different families adapt and enjoy the activity.
This Foam Flower Counting activity is not just a craft; it’s a vibrant, engaging way to incorporate learning into your child’s day. Get ready to watch your little ones blossom in their counting skills and fine motor control this spring!
Play2Learn Toddler & Preschool Programs for Curious Toddlers
There is no limit to your toddler’s energy and curiosity. That energy and curiosity although a joy can be challenging at times. Their interest in just about everything around them is what makes them great learners. One and two year olds can soak up so much just from their senses!
But as a teacher or parent that thirst for learning can be exhausting. That is why I created this toddler and preschooler program. To help you get the most out of this time with your curious toddler without having to come up with creative ways to play and interact with them.
Play2Learn for Toddlers includes 20 Units for toddlers. Each 2-week toddler unit has 20 super easy to set up and engaging activities for toddlers 18 months to 3 years.
Play2Learn Preschool which includes 20 Units for preschoolers. Each 2-week preschoolers unit has 20 unique and easy to set up and engaging activities for preschoolers 3 years to 5 years. That’s over 800 learning activities for your toddler and preschooler at your fingertips! So many ideas you and your child will never be bored again!
These toddler and preschool lesson plans and activities will definitely keep you and your toddler and preschooler busy playing and learning!
Click here for more information: Play2Learn
Book: Exciting Sensory Bins for Curious Kids
Did you know I wrote a book of sensory bins? Click here for more information Exciting Sensory Bin for Curious Kids. Or grab your copy at Amazon.
Boring afternoons are made exciting with awesome animal-based bins, like Salty Shark Bay or Yarn Farm. Pretend play bins like Birthday Cake Sensory Play or Bubble Tea Party encourage creativity and imagination. And your kids will have so much fun they won’t even know they’re getting smarter with STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities like Sink or Float Soup, Magnetic Letter Hunt or Ice Cream Scoop and Count.
Designed for toddlers 18 months and up.
Book: Super STEAM Activity Book for Kids
Learning all about science, technology, engineering, art, and math sets kids up for scholastic success―and it can be so much fun! Watch kids enjoy building STEAM skills as they color friendly fish, help water find its way to tree roots, solve math problems with mazes, and more.
Find out more and grab your copy here.
Designed for preschoolers 3 years old and up.
Book: Big Book of Riddles for Kids
Riddle me this: What’s an exciting way to practice critical thinking while having a blast? The Big Riddle Book for Kids, of course! From hilarious puns to tough brain teasers, kids can build problem-solving skills with hundreds of riddles tha. t show them how to think outside the box.
- 350 riddles for kids—Have hours of fun with riddles, puns and jokes, and math and logic puzzles that’ll get their wheels turning!
- Level up their skills—Riddles get trickier as kids progress through the book, challenging them as they get better at solving puzzles!
- Double-check their work—Kids can check their answers in the back of the book with a handy answer key.
Help children expand their minds while having fun with this puzzle book for kids!
Designed for kids ages 6 years old and up.
TV Show: Curious Crafting
I’m so excited to share my crafting TV show Curious Crafting which launched in July 2022 on TVOkids and TVOkids YouTube! Season 2 aired in August 2023! My show was also nominated in 2023 for Best Live Action Preschool Series by the Youth Media Alliance Awards of Excellence.
Curious Crafting Season 1 is also now airing in Australia on ABC! Watch it here!
Set in the ultimate crafting space, Curious Crafting is a short form pre-school age series about the joy of making crafts. I lead a rotating cast of adorable little preschoolers (including my own) making magic out of common household objects.
In each episode we transform recycled items into magical crafts like a milk carton school bus, paper bag puppet or cotton pad turtle. The crafters learn and laugh their way through each activity while demonstrating what their young imaginations can create.
Curious Crafting shares the adventure and joy of making art with takeaway lessons for creating crafts at home.
This show designed for toddlers and preschoolers 2.5 years old and up.
Foam Flower Counting: Fun Fine Motor & Math Activity for Spring
Materials
- Colorful foam sheets (various colors for flowers, brown for the flower pot)
- Spray bottle filled with water
- Scissors
- Black permanent marker
Instructions
- Create Your Foam Flowers: Start by drawing and cutting out flower shapes from the colorful foam sheets. You'll need one flower for each number you plan to teach, typically 1-10 for toddlers and preschoolers. Vary the types of flowers you create. Cut the stems out separately from green foam sheets as well as leaves for each flower. Finally cut out a flower pot
- Make a Foam Flower Pot: Cut out a flower pot shape from the brown foam sheet. This will serve as the base where the numbered flowers will be organized.Use the black permanent marker to write a number on each flower pot. Try to make the numbers large and clear for easy recognition.
- Play and Learn: Hand your preschoolers or kindergartner a spray bottle filled with water and head outside to a large glass door or window that they can reach safely. Invite them to spray the water with some water and then stick the numbered flower pots on it. They will immediately stick! Encourage your child to stick the flowers on the pot in numerical order. This is a great way to practice number recognition and sequential order.Next show your child how to spray a little water just above the numbered flower pots and then count and stick that number of flowers on the window.
