Christmas tree math games for preschool

These Christmas tree math games for preschool aged children are fun to make and play.

 

 

QUICK RESOURCE >> Download your ready-made Nativity Unit here    

 

Christmas tree math games for preschool

We’re starting our Christmas tree math activities by making a set of trees using potato printing.

A simple triangle shape is easy (for adults) to cut into the potato, and makes a perfect little Christmas tree.

Print onto a piece of card so your trees will stand up by themselves when you come to play the counting games.

Make as many trees as you want to count to: five, ten, whatever suits your child.

You could even use Christmas scented paint.  

 

 

Then your child can use a cotton bud or their finger to add some decorations to the tree.

You can use glitter glue or coloured paint. Count your decorations carefully, adding one, two, three, four and five to each tree.  

 

 

 

Then cut out your trees, including an extra section of card at the base of each tree which you can fold backwards to make a stand.

You can add in some math vocabulary as your arrange your trees.

Which tree has the most decorations?

Which tree has the fewest?

Can your child line up their trees in number order?  

 

 

 

Then make some number cards to match to your trees.

I like using a tube of glitter glue for this because it’s easy to squeeze and control as you can write out your numbers.

It also holds its bumpy shape when dried, so you’ve created set of number cards that your child can run their finger over, to feel the shape of the digit. And, you know…. it’s sparkly!  

 

 

Now you can see if you can match your digit cards with your trees.  

 

 

And try out some simple addition sums too.

Touching each raised bauble is great to reinforce one-to-one correspondence and careful counting, as your child can feel each decoration as they say the numbers out loud.

It’s helpful to include as many senses as possible for learners, so here your child can see the numbers, feel them with their fingers, and say their names out loud.  

 

 

It’s helpful to your child to incorporate numbers in all kinds of play, so, once you’ve finished playing your math games, you could move the trees into a small world – like this winter wonderland – so they are still seeing numbers as part of their imaginary play.

 

       

Download your ready-made Nativity Unit

Download the Play Academy’s ready-made Nativity Unit and you’ll have everything you need to lead a set of activities to introduce your children to the Nativity story.

This Unit includes artist-drawn puppets/colour-in nativity scene characters and printable Bible verse cards, that your children can use year after year.

In this Nativity teaching unit your children can:

:: learn about the Nativity and create their own Nativity book or small world scene using colour-in puppet / nativity scene characters

:: learn about Mary and Joseph’s journey, and explore junk modelling

:: learn about the shepherds role, and explore loose parts

:: learn about Jesus’ birth

:: learn about the three wise men, and complete their book / re-tell the story in their small world  

Bonus Nativity thematic unit printables

The Play Academy’s thematic units come with practical printables that make the lessons more engaging for your children and easier for you to teach.

No need to go searching for printables to accompany your lessons, they’re all included when you download your chosen unit.

In this Nativity Unit you’ll receive these bonus printables:

:: My Nativity Story book to write, colour and complete to tell the Nativity story

:: a set of artist-drawn My Nativity Puppets to colour, cut out and use to re-cap and act out the Nativity story

:: Nativity Vocabulary Cards to recap and consolidate learning

:: Nativity Bible Verse Cards to read, narrate your own acting out of the story, and perhaps to memorise

How to download this Nativity thematic unit

You can download this unit along with over 50 more from NurtureStore’s Play Academy.

If you are already of the Play Academy, you can download this unit straight away from our Library here.

If you are not yet a member, find out more and choose your first unit here. Your teaching is about to get a whole lot easier!