March is getting closer, and that means not only are we nearing spring, but we are also gearing up for St. Patrick’s Day with some fun, hands-on activities! One thing my kids always love is play dough. Another thing they love is dry erase markers. Put the two together and they are ALL IN! These free Pot of Gold Number Mats from our St. Patrick’s Day Centers and Activities Bundle are perfect for working on numbers and counting and also incorporate handwriting practice!
*For even more learning fun this month, grab the whole St. Patrick’s Day Centers and Activities BUNDLE in our shop or purchase it over on Teachers Pay Teachers!
Pot of Gold Number Mats
Learning numbers is a lot more work than simply counting and recognizing the numeral. It is also working on reading number words and subitizing (instantly recognizing sets without counting) in ten frames too. These mats give us tons of hands-on practice with all of these skills!
How to Prep
Prep is easy for this activity. Begin by printing and laminating the Pot of Gold number mats. Laminating them allows for repeated use year after year!
Grab some yellow play dough to be the “gold” for counting. I have the mini containers and they are perfect for activities like this. Lastly, grab some dry erase markers and you’re all set to work!
How to Use the Number Mats
I like to use these number mats in small groups but they are also perfect for whole group instruction or math centers. We start by using the play dough to make our “gold” coins and build the number on the ten frame. This is great fine motor skills practice!
We then move onto our handwriting practice by writing the number on the line below the pot of gold. This is a fun activity for any students working on writing their numbers and building sets!
Since many kids may be working on addition this time of year, you can differentiate this and make it an addition and decomposing numbers activity by adding in a second color of play dough. Have the students use the two colors to show an equation that makes the total number on the mat. They could even write the equation on the line provided!
RELATED RESOURCE: March Clothespin Clip Cards
Grab Your FREE Copy
Ready to start counting some “gold”? Grab your free copy of the Pot of Gold number mats by clicking the large, yellow download button at the very bottom of the post!
Or, grab the whole St. Patrick’s Day Centers and Activities BUNDLE for an entire month of low-prep, hands-on math and literacy fun (including the Pot of Gold number mats)!
More St. Patrick’s Day Fun
Looking for more St. Patrick’s Day activities? Check out the fun crafts and learning activities from some awesome kid bloggers!
St Patrick’s Day Preschool Potion Play from Crafty Kids at Home
Egg Carton Shamrock Craft from Play & Learn Everyday
Rainbow Rainmaker from Mum in the Mad House
Michael Finnigan Craft from Craftulate
Shamrock sun catcher craft from The Gingerbread House
Shamrock Stones from Sunny Day Family
Luck of the Irish Mickey Mouse Oreo Pops from Crafty Mama in ME
Kids’ Kitchen: Over the Rainbow Cupcakes from Sugar, Spice & Glitter
St Patrick’s Day Counting Worksheet from Larabee UK
Pot of Gold Number Mats from The Kindergarten Connection
St Patrick’s Day Playdough from Clares Little Tots
Rainbow Buttons Color Sorting & Craft Activity from Kidz Activities
Pot o’ Gold DIY Piggy Bank from Playground Parkbench
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What an interesting idea! My children will be excited with this. Thank you for sharing!
We hope that you and your children enjoy this activity! 🙂
Wow, these are perfect ideas for kids. I think a lot kids will love them.
I am a huge fan!!! I absolutely adore your resources! Thank you so much for sharing your great work!
Thanks, Shasha! We are so happy to hear you are enjoying our resources. Have a great rest of the school year!
What a great educational printable – I love when we can theme the educational activities to the holidays to make them more fun. Thanks for allowing me to share this in my St. Patrick’s Day Roundup 🙂
What a great post! I love Holiday themed learning activities. Thanks for sharing!
Love how these use play dough to visually show the numbers – great for many different learning styles!
This is such a fun tool to encourage kids with number work. We love to use play dough as a manipulative in our learning activities as well, so this would really well for us at home. Thanks so much for taking part and sharing these fun mats with us.
Great printable, T is currently learning his numbers so this will be a great resource to add to our activities.
What a great activity. I know a number of kids that would love this.