These playdough tree counting mats are a fantastic way to make learning numbers fun and engaging for kids. Combining playdough with counting practice keeps preschoolers and kindergartners entertained while helping them develop important math skills.
The hands-on nature of rolling playdough apples or acorns or anything onto the trees adds a tactile element that really helps kids focus and learn through play. Plus, these mats are easy to set up and can be reused again and again, especially if you laminate them!
Why You’ll Love Making This Activity
You’ll love these playdough tree counting mats because they make learning both fun and interactive.
Instead of just looking at numbers, your child gets to physically engage with them by rolling out playdough apples, making the learning process more memorable.
It’s also a great way to help your child build essential math skills, like counting, number recognition, and even early addition, all while having fun.
Another big plus is how easy it is to reuse these mats, especially if you laminate them.
Whether you use them for quiet play, part of your homeschooling routine, or just an after-school activity, these mats provide endless opportunities for learning and creativity. Plus, they are great for building fine motor skills, so you’re not just focusing on math but on overall development too.
Materials Needed
- Printable playdough tree counting mats 1 to 10 (available below)
- Playdough (variety of colors) (grab my easy playdough recipe here)
- Laminator (optional for durability)
How to Use Playdough Tree Counting Mats
- Print the Counting Mats: Print out the free playdough tree counting mats. You can print multiple copies if you want to focus on different numbers or provide multiple mats for siblings or a group of kids.
- Laminate the Mats: For durability, laminate the mats so they can withstand the wear and tear of playdough and frequent use.
- Prepare the Playdough: Set out playdough in different colors for your child to use. They’ll be rolling small balls (or “apples”) to match the numbers on the tree.
- Begin Counting: Show your child the number on the tree and explain how they need to roll out that number of playdough apples and place them on the tree and to fill in the ten-frame. For example, if the number is 6, they will make 6 small apples and place them on the tree.
Using Ten-Frames with the Playdough Tree Mat
In addition to rolling playdough apples or acorns to match the numbers on the tree, your child can also practice counting using the ten-frame boxes included on the printable mat.
Ten-frames are an excellent way to help kids understand number quantities and how numbers relate to each other. After rolling the correct number of playdough apples for the tree, they can fill the ten-frame by rolling playdough balls and placing them in the individual boxes.
This visual representation of numbers helps reinforce counting skills and provides an early introduction to addition and number sense.
Learning Outcomes
- Number Recognition: These mats help children recognize numbers and associate them with the correct quantity.
- Counting Practice: Rolling out playdough apples helps reinforce counting skills as kids work on matching numbers to the right amount.
- Fine Motor Skills: Rolling and shaping playdough encourages the development of fine motor coordination.
- One-to-One Correspondence: This activity helps kids understand the concept of matching each object (playdough apple) to one number, a key math skill.
- Concept of Addition: By adding more apples to the tree, you can introduce the idea of simple addition, helping kids visualize how numbers increase.
- Using Ten Frames: Incorporating ten frames on the mats reinforces number sense and helps children understand quantities up to 10.
- Reading Number Words: The activity encourages early literacy by helping kids recognize and read number words.
Grab Your Printable Playdough Tree Mats Here:
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.
