preschool Archives

Shape Sort! Shape Sorting Activity Mats for Kids

February 6, 2020 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Shapes are all around us. We often learn about them as individual items, but we really see them everywhere we go!

When my kids were small, they loved spotting shapes as we went about the day.

They found shapes on streetlights, traffic signs, buildings, and especially their favorite foods.

To help early learners recognize shapes all around them, I’m sharing these fun shape sorting activity mats for preschoolers!

These are so cute for morning tubs and early math centers! Kids will love challenging themselves to find all the shape objects.

Read on to see how to get your set! And, for more fun with shapes, don’t miss our Apple Seek and Find Shapes Worksheets!

Shape Sort! Shape Sorting Activity Mats

To use these printable shape sorting activity mats, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

This product includes mats and shape cards for:

Circle
Square
Triangle
and Oval

Each shape mat has six spaces to place the six objects that have the specified shape.

The cards are also color coded, so it’s easy – even for little ones – to match them up.

If a student is unsure which shape goes where, ask them to lay the shape card directly on the shape shown on the mat.

Then they can trace around the shape with their finger to see which shape it resembles the most.

This can be used as a one-time cut and paste activity for students, but it really works wonderfully as a reusable lesson.

Just laminate the mats and cards and then add hook and loop sticky dots for a quick go-to whenever you want to reinforce shape recognition.

These are also fantastic for busy bags!

Scroll down to get your Printable Shape Sorting Activity Mats!

Take a look at these other early learning activities for students!

And don’t miss more ways to teach for early ages on my Learning for Little Ones Pinterest board!

To get your copy of these Shape Sort! Shape Sorting Activity Mats, click the image or the link below to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

>>> Shape Sorting Activity Mats – Teachers Pay Teachers <<<

Polar Animals I Spy Activity for Kids

January 21, 2020 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Last week, I took the kids to the library and I checked out a Where’s Waldo? Find the Differences book.

After about 10 minutes of staring at one picture, my head started to hurt.

I found Waldo pretty quickly, but finding all the differences in each of the pictures almost killed me. The kids thought it was funny.

Look and find activities are really popular with kids (and adults like me), so I thought this fun Polar Animals I Spy Activity would be a cool winter project for early learners!

This winter I Spy activity is a simple, no prep learning game for little ones!

Read on to see how to get yours – free! And, for more early learning ideas for winter, don’t miss our Roll A Snowman Art Activity!

Polar Animals I Spy Activity

To use this Polar Animals I Spy Activity, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Printer (with ink)
Printer Paper
Laminator (optional)
Dry erase markers (optional)

This product includes two separate Polar Animal I Spy pages:

A simple I Spy activity for preschoolers
A more challenging I Spy activity for older children

These would be fantastic for morning tubs or math centers!

Simply laminate each activity page and let students use dry erase markers to count each polar animal they find.

The answers are included in the product too. 🙂

Scroll down to get your Polar Animals I Spy Activity!

Take a look at these other winter learning activities for early ages!

Follow my Winter Activities for Kids board on Pinterest for more ideas!

To get your copy of this Polar Animals I Spy Activity, sign up for our email newsletter! You’ll get this printable, plus lots more, in our exclusive Subscriber Library!

Get started by using the widget below.

NOTE: If you don’t receive the welcome email with the library access instructions, check your spam folder or send me an email at selena@lookwerelearning.com.

Peppermint Hot Cocoa Sequencing Mats for Kids

November 14, 2019 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

When I was little, I was a total hot cocoa addict.

My parents drank coffee every morning. But I was in love with hot chocolate.

I had a little microwavable mug and, once I learned to make cocoa on my own (usually with Nesquik), I was off to the races.

As the weather gets colder, I still remember my hot chocolate memories. And that’s why I wanted to share these adorable peppermint hot cocoa sequencing mats for kids!

These would make a perfect winter early learning activity for preschoolers and kindergartners who are working on retelling steps in order.

Read on to see how to get your set – free! And, for more fun with winter learning, don’t miss our winter alphabet and number playdough mats!

Peppermint Hot Cocoa Sequencing Mats for Kids

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

This product includes:

One color sequencing mat
Two sets of color three-step hot cocoa sequencing cards
One line art sequencing mat
And two sets of line art three-step hot cocoa sequencing cards

Once you prep this activity, you’re all set!

Place the cards in random order and let students practice telling how to make cocoa using the cards in the correct sequence.

You’ll definitely want to laminate these for durability. It makes them hold up better for little hands!

You can also use them with sticky hook and loop dots to add them to a busy bag.

Scroll down to get your set of these Peppermint Hot Cocoa Sequencing Cards!

Stop by and check out these other winter early learning activities!

And for more winter teaching ideas, follow my Winter Activities for Kids board on Pinterest!

To get your copy of these Peppermint Hot Cocoa Sequencing Mats, click the image or the link below to grab it for free from my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

>>> Peppermint Hot Cocoa Sequencing Activity <<<

Multicolor Mail! Preschool Color Sorting Game

November 11, 2019 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

Preschoolers love to pretend to deliver mail.

When we took our little ones to a pretend neighborhood, they all wanted to dress up as mail delivery workers and put envelopes in the tiny mailbox. It was adorable.

Since learning to recognize colors and color words is an important skill for toddlers and preschoolers to master, I thought it would be fun to combine colors and mail delivery into a simple preschool color sorting game!

With this simple color recognition activity, kids can pretend to “stamp mail” and work on learning their colors. And, after the initial setup, you can reuse it over and over again.

It’s perfect for preschool busy bags, centers, or morning tubs!

Read on to see how to get your set!

And for more color sorting fun, check out our Colorful Cubes Color and Number Sorting Worksheets!

Multicolor Mail! Preschool Color Sorting Game

To play this preschool color sorting game, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

This game includes “envelopes” that feature the color words for:

Red
Yellow
Blue
Black
White
Orange
Yellow
and Purple

Simply cut the envelopes out, fold them in half, and laminate them.

Add a loop sticky dot to the square in the upper right corner of each envelope.

The color stamps are all printed on one page. Laminate the page, then cut out each stamp.

Add a hook sticky dot on the back of each stamp.

Then you’re ready to play! Show the kids how to attach the correct color stamp on each envelope.

Since the color words appear in the color they identify, this is a simple color recognition game for little ones.

You can work on primary colors first, then add secondary colors and neutrals, if you like.

Divide up the colors and see who can match their stack up first!

This would be a wonderful busy bag activity. You can just store the stamps and the envelopes in a resealable bag and let the kids practice anytime!

Scroll down to get your copy of this Preschool Color Sorting Game!

Don’t miss these other preschool learning activities!

To get your copy of this Multicolor Mail! Preschool Color Sorting Game, visit my Teachers Pay Teachers store or check it out below!

Preschool Worksheets: Cookie Counting Worksheets for Preschool

November 4, 2019 by Selena Robinson 3 Comments

One of the wonderful things about preschool is that you don’t have to teach a whole lot of math. After all, you’re working with kids that are four to five years old.

So it’s really a time for introducing the very basics of mathematics: shapes, sizes, counting, numbers, and so on.

I thought we’d add a fun twist to working on counting with Piglet with these cookie counting worksheets for preschool!

These printables include practice for counting to ten and matching like objects – two skills that are important to cover in preschool.

Read on to see how to get a copy of these for your students!

And, if you enjoy this printable, check out our Ice Cream Preschool Shape Sorting Activity to practice shape differentiation with early learners! Don’t miss our other fun preschool worksheets and activities too!

Cookie Counting Worksheets for Preschool

To use these cookie counting worksheets for preschool, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links provided here for convenience. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Printer (with ink)
Printer paper
Pencils
Laminator (optional)
Dry erase crayons (optional)

This product includes two worksheets – one set featuring color cookies and one set with line art cookies (if you want to save on ink).

Students count the chocolate chips in each cookie and then draw a line to match it to a cookie with the same amount of chips on the opposite side.

Each worksheet has five rows, so kids only have to match one cookie on the left side to another cookie on the right side.

With Piglet, we started by counting the number of chocolate chips in the first cookie.

Then we went to the right side to find the cookie with the same number of chips. Then she drew a line to match them up.

After that, there was no stopping her!

A full answer key is provided for these worksheets as well.

If you want to reuse these cooking counting worksheets at math centers, just laminate them and let students use dry erase markers!

Scroll down to get your cookie counting worksheets for preschool!

Be sure to try some of these other preschool learning activities!

And find more ways to work with early learners on my Learning for Little Ones Pinterest board!

To get your copy of our Cookie Counting worksheets for preschool, click the image or the link below to pick it up free in my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

>>>>> Cookie Counting Worksheets for Preschool <<<<<

Pumpkin Preschool Size Sorting Game

October 15, 2019 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Working with size recognition is such a fun early learning concept! All of our kids loved learning the differences between small, medium, and large.

My husband, who is 6’3″, was always an easy way to show “big”. Meanwhile, I’m 5’2″, so I kind of worked as “medium”. And, of course, our kids (when they were preschoolers) were “small”.

We could usually line up our hands and see the obvious differences in size.

For a class of early learners, though, it’s also good to have a quick printable activity you can go to when you’re learning about size. And that’s where this pumpkin size sorting game comes in handy!

This is a perfect fall math center activity for early grades! And you could also use it to talk about same and different, as well as feelings, since each pumpkin has a different expression.

Read on to see how to get your set – free! And, for more early learning pumpkin fun, take a look at our Pumpkin Places Ordinal Number Lesson!

Pumpkin Preschool Size Sorting Game for Kids

To use this pumpkin preschool size sorting game, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

This size sorting game includes:

Three size sorting mats
Eighteen pumpkin size cards

You can use these as a one-time cut and paste activity or you can reuse them at centers by laminating them and adding hook and loop sticky dots.

Since it’s low prep, you’ll only need a few minutes to set it up. Then kids can get to work!

Scroll down to get your copy of our Pumpkin Preschool Size Sorting Game!

Don’t miss these other early learning resources for fall!

And see more ways to add autumn themes to your lessons on my Fall Activities for Kids Pinterest board!

To get your copy of our Pumpkin Preschool Size Sorting Game, sign up for our email newsletter! It’s free and you’ll get this resource, plus lots of other printables free, in our exclusive Subscriber Library!

Just sign up using the widget below.

Preschool Playdough Mats: Mountain Playdough Shape Mats

October 14, 2019 by Selena Robinson 6 Comments

With Piglet starting on preschool work this fall, we’ve been using a lot of preschool playdough mats.

So this week I’m sharing a brand new printable set of preschool mats: Mountain Playdough Shape Mats!

These are super fun for little ones who are working on fine motor skills, shape recognition, and more!

Plus, they’re a perfect activity for preschoolers who are working on a geology unit along with their older siblings.

Read on to see how to get yours for free!

And don’t forget to stop by and check out some of our other preschool printables, including our Apple Tree Counting Mat and our Beach Playdough Number Mats!

Preschool Playdough Mats: Mountain Playdough Shape Mats

To use these mountain playdough shape mats, you’ll need the following: (Affiliate links provided for convenience. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Once you laminate these mats, you can use them again and again, so here are a few different ways to use them with your preschoolers.

Give your child a Do A Dot marker and challenge him or her to fill in each shape with a different color. Or each dot with a different color.

You can even ask your child to make a color pattern (one green circle, one red circle, one blue circle, then repeat it).

Hand out circular stickers and let your child stick them into the circles. This is particularly great for toddlers or for times when you want to avoid a potential mess. 😉

Use playdough to fill in the circles. Have your child roll small bits of dough into circles and place them in each circle to form each shape. This is excellent for fine motor practice.

Give your child dry erase crayons and bring the mats along when you’re going to a place you’ll have to wait.

Good choices include the doctor’s office, the drive-through, or a long car ride. Toss a basic washcloth into the car and use it to wipe off the mats for reuse.

Scroll down to get your copy of our free Preschool Playdough Mats: Mountain Playdough Shape Mats!

Don’t miss these other preschool resources!

Plus, get more ideas for working with preschoolers on my Learning for Little Ones Pinterest board!

To get your copy of our free Preschool Playdough Mats: Mountain Do A Dot Shape Mats, sign up for our email newsletter! You’ll get these and lots of other exclusive learning printables when you subscribe!

This post is part of the Mountains Unit Study roundup! Stop by to read even more learning ideas about mountains from my fellow bloggers!

Adventurous Mountain Books your Tween will Love from Crafty Mama in ME

Children’s Picture Books About Camping from The Jenny Evolution

Mountain Sequencing Puzzle from Schooling a Monkey

Making a Mountain Out of A Mole Hill from Tales Of Education At Home

My Side of the Mountain Survival Lessons from FrogMom

Fall Leaves Count and Match: Preschool Concentration Game for Kids

September 16, 2019 by Selena Robinson 2 Comments

We’ve been working on counting and number recognition with our little one lately, so in the spirit of autumn, I thought I’d share a fun fall math preschool concentration game that little ones will love to play!

One of the best ways I’ve found to get my kids excited about learning is to play lots and lots of games. That way, they get to practice basic concepts without even realizing it.

So for my smallest learner, this concentration game was an easy way to help her work on counting.

And it only takes a few minutes to make too!

This would be a fantastic fall math center activity for early learners. Or you could turn it into a fall themed busy bag!

If your kids like this game, be sure to check out our apple preschool counting puzzles for more preschool fall math fun!

Fall Leaf Count and Match Preschool Concentration Game

To make this fall math preschool concentration game, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

To assemble the game, print the flashcards and then laminate them.

Kids can be pretty rough on pieces of paper. This way, the cards will stay crisp enough to reuse.

Here’s a tip: If you print these on regular printer paper, kids will be able to see the numbers and dice through the back. Which doesn’t make for much of a challenge.

So I printed them on patterned cardstock.

That way, the game looks better and it’s more fun for the kids to try to match up the cards without seeing what each one is in advance.

Once you’ve laminated the cards and cut them out, lay them out face-down. Let the kids practice turning them over one by one.

The goal is to match the leaf number cards with the leaf dice cards. The leaf with “5” on it corresponds to the leaf that has five dots on the die.

To make matching easier, the leaves are color-coded. You can even use them to match colors for younger kids!

Scroll down to get your copy of our Fall Math Preschool Concentration Game!

Stop by to see these other fall learning ideas for early grades!

To get your copy of our Fall Preschool Concentration Game, click the image or the link below to visit my store!

>>> Match a Leaf! Preschool Concentration Game <<<

Printable Butterfly Counting Activity for Kids

May 2, 2019 by Selena Robinson 1 Comment

Butterflies are flying all over our neighborhood these days. And it’s no wonder.

We’re right in the middle of spring and, down here, that means the typical six months of summer is on the way. Which means we’ll be seeing butterflies in the yard for weeks to come!

So I thought we’d try a fun, new early math activity – a butterfly counting activity for practicing number fluency from zero to ten!

This is such a cute idea for spring and summer learning. Plus, it’d make a wonderful busy bag for little hands.

Read on to see how to get your set. And, for more early math practice, take a look at our Colorful Birds Matching Activity too!

Butterfly Counting Activity for Kids

To use this butterfly counting activity, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Printer (with ink)
Printer Paper
Laminator (optional)
Scissors

To get started, simply print the butterfly counting mat and the sheet of butterflies and numbers zero to ten.

Then use a pair of scissors to cut out the butterfly cards and the number cards.

All you’ll have to do now is set up the activity by choosing a different number each time. Then your child can practice counting out the right number of butterflies.

Since the number cards go from zero all the way to ten, you can just swap out the cards and let the kids get to work!

Or you can teach the kids how to change the numbers on their own and then challenge themselves.

Make it into a shared activity by switching the roles. Let your child choose a number card and see if *you* can count out the right number of butterflies.

Hint: Get it wrong on purpose a few times and see if your child catches your mistake!

Scroll down to get your copy of our printable butterfly counting activity!

Stop by to see these other early math learning activities!

And see even more ways to make early education fun on my Learning for Little Ones Pinterest board!

To get your copy of our Butterfly Counting Activity, sign up for our email newsletter! This product, along with lots of other printables, is available for free in our Subscriber Library!

You’ll receive full access instructions in your confirmation email. Just use the widget below to get started!

NOTE: If you don’t see the welcome email in your inbox, check your spam folder. Sometimes it’s hiding in there. 🙂

Phonics Fun! Printable Phonics Flashcards for Kids

April 22, 2019 by Selena Robinson Leave a Comment

Phonics are kind of a controversial topic in education these days. Some kids learn to read without ever practicing phonics, but some benefit by learning to master common phonics skills.

Personally, I’m for whatever helps a child learn to read.

Some of my kids took to reading right away. Others learned beginning sounds, digraphs, and suffixes before learning to read fluently.

So I thought these printable phonics flashcards might be useful to some of you as well!

These would be excellent for literacy centers, phonics reviews, and even “I Have, Who Has?” games! Plus, you can print them once and then use them over and over again.

Find out how to get your set of phonics flashcards for kids below! And, for more fun with early literacy, check out our Rhyming Word Puzzles!

Phonics Fun! Printable Phonics Flashcards for Kids

To use these printable phonics flashcards, you’ll need the following: (This post contains affiliate links. For details, see our Disclosure Policy.)

Printer (with ink)
Printer Paper
Scissors
Laminator (Useful if you plan to reuse the cards)

These printable phonics flashcards for kids include a complete set of vowel flashcards, featuring letters and pictures that have the correct beginning sound for each letter.

Long and short vowel sounds are included.

So, for letter A, there are two flashcards: one featuring a picture of an acorn (for long A) and another featuring a picture of an alligator (for short A).

Consonant sounds are included in this set of printable phonics flashcards too!

Letters that have more than one sound, such as G, have a flashcard for each type of sound: hard and soft.

In the example of G, one flashcard shows a picture of grapes (for hard G) and another shows a picture of a gingerbread man (for soft G).

Even tricky letters like X are included! One flashcard shows a word that begins with X (“xylophone”) and another shows a word that ends with the X sound (“fox”).