Summer break is coming up, and I’m in a “beachy” mood. So I decided to whip up some fun Beach 0-9 Number Playdough Mats!

Piglet is starting Tot school this fall and she can recite the ABCs and count to 10. But she doesn’t recognize the letters and numbers yet, which means it’s time to get to work!

I love using playdough to reinforce number recognition, because it’s great for improving fine motor skills, it provides good sensory input, and (most of all) it’s quiet.

She’ll sit there and play quietly with playdough mats for a good 30 minutes. Win!

If you love these, take a look at our Fall Alphabet and Number Literacy Mats too!

Beach Number Playdough Mats for Preschool

To use these beach number playdough mats, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

• Printer (with ink)
• Printer paper
• Laminator
• Playdough (or make your own with this edible playdough recipe)

Working with playdough is a great way for kids to build fine motor skills – the same skills they’ll need to write numbers and letters later on.

With these mats, kids can make playdough “snakes” by rolling the dough back and forth between both hands.

They, they can lay the dough out over the shape of each number.

You’ll want to laminate the mats before you get started or else they’ll only last for one session. Trust me.

Since each mat features only one number, you can use them along with a number of the day lesson.

This allows kids to focus on recognizing one number at a time.

How to Use Literacy Mats with Early Learners

Literacy mats are wonderful for early learners – from toddlers to kindergartners.

You can use them when reviewing letters or numbers. And you can use them when you’re covering a thematic unit (beaches, insects, transportation, etc.)

The key here is to keep the learning open-ended and relaxed.

As long as the students get to work with the playdough and practice forming letters and numbers, they’re doing great.

If they don’t remember each letter or number right away, they will over time.

Get a look at these number literacy mats in action below!

Scroll down to get your copy of our Beach 0-9 Number Playdough Mats!

Stop by to check out these other summer fun ideas for kids!