Hands-On Number Recognition and Counting Activities

Discover a fun way to teach preschool numbers and counting with straws and toilet paper tubes. Simple, hands-on activity for preschool math!

This Simple Counting Activity with Pom-Poms is a great way to familiarize your preschoolers with numbers and what the represent. 

Here’s a simple Rainbow Themed Counting to 5 Busy Bag. It’s sure to brighten up a rainy day, and your kids can use it to practice number recognition, counting to five, and number order.

Skip Counting With The Cat In The Hat will help your preschoolers practice counting by tens. They’ll end up with a fun Cat in the Hat hat when they’re finished. 

Nothing could be more fun than a craft that doubles as a math lesson. Check out how this Counting Chicks Busy Bag can be used for toddlers, preschoolers, AND kindergarteners.

Preschoolers will love practicing Counting On In Nature to set the stage for addition and subtraction later on. 

This low-prep Counting Bead Activity will encourage little ones to practice counting to ten as they build fine motor skills. For an added challenge, have them form patterns as they add beads. 

Create an open-ended Counting and Addition Activity Tray for your preschoolers, and they can work on 1:1 correspondence, counting, matching, and beginning addition and subtraction.

Skip Counting with Sidewalk Chalk adds a fun twist to an ordinary game of hopscotch! 

This no-mess Counting Worms Preschool Math Sensory Bin helps little ones practice counting and number recognition while working on fine motor skills as little ones fish the worms out of this bin. 

Head out on a nature walk with your preschoolers, and gather a variety of leaves while you walk. Use them in this Fine Motor Counting Activity. 

Learning to count to ten is more fun when it’s hands-on! Kids will practice number recognition and counting to ten when you present them with this fine motor counting math tray. 

With a little advanced prep work, you can make a simple Bottle Cap Math Game that will allow you to work on a variety of number skills with your preschoolers.

Busy preschoolers will love burning off energy while reviewing numbers with a backyard Number Matching Race in the backyard.

Read Bear Counts with your preschoolers, and then set up this hands-on Bear Counts On Counting Extension Activity.

All you need to set up this Number Hop activity is a handful of flashcards (purchased or homemade). Call out a number, and have your child hop to it. Can they get to the number by hopping the same number of times? 

With an old baking sheet and some magnetic numbers, you’re all set to set up this Preschool Magnetic Numbers Math Activity.

I love teaching number sense with hands-on activities. Create a set of DIY Butterfly Number Stones and let your preschoolers match each dotted butterfly to its matching number.

Here’s a Simple Counting Game to Teach Subtraction Skills to preschoolers. They’ll work on counting backward as an introduction to subtraction.

Here’s a fun Hands-on Math Activity with Dice, Magnetic Wand and Counters. Preschoolers will work on counting and one-to-one correspondence.

Pick up a fly swatter on your next trip to the Dollar Store. Then, set up a low-prep Smack the Number Counting Game for your preschoolers. They’ll love rolling the dice, counting the dots, and smacking the corresponding number.

Create a Car Race Counting Game for your preschoolers. They’ll roll the dice and move their cars along the homemade race track. Who will make it to the end first? 

DIY Number Rocks will help your preschoolers work on number recognition and number order.