It’s that wonderful time of year when bundling up and getting cozy next to the fire is a warm welcome! It’s also the time of year when it becomes more difficult to find exciting learning activities after the rush of the holiday season. No more holiday themes to inspire and motivate little minds. That’s why I’m excited to share with you these adorable and free Addition and Subtraction Winter Math Mats that are in the shape of a mitten! It’s a perfect way to add some fun, seasonal activities into your math centers!
*These math mats pair perfectly with our Snow Centers & Activities for Pre-K/Kindergarten!
Addition and Subtraction Winter Math Mats
Your students are going to love these cute mitten math mats! They are great for both Kindergarten and 1st grade!
You can use these math mats in your homeschool or traditional classroom. I like to put them in my math centers, use them in small groups, or send them home for students to use at home for extra practice.
How to Prep
This activity is so fun and so easy to prep. Let’s gather our supplies and get started!
Supplies you will need:
- The Winter Math Mats printables (at the end of this post)
- Dice
- Dry Erase Marker and Eraser
- Manipulatives for counting ( I used cotton balls to make it look like snowballs in the mitten)
I like to laminate my math mats for use year after year. It also makes this activity more fun and engaging when children can use dry erase markers to write in the math equations.
If you don’t have access to a laminator then I suggest slipping the printables inside of a sheet protector. I’ve used them this way as well!
Addition Math Mats
Students will start by rolling a die and then writing the number in the first box of the equation at the bottom of their addition math mat printable.
Students will then use manipulatives to model the number on the first half of the mitten to represent the corresponding number rolled on the die. I use cotton balls but any manipulatives you have on hand will work. Winter themed erasers are super fun! This modeling will show one part of the whole.
Students will repeat these steps for the second half of the mitten.
RELATED RESOURCE: January Print – That’s It! Kindergarten Math & Literacy Printables
Lastly, the students will add the two numbers and write the answer to the math equation in the 3rd box located below the mitten.
Encourage children to count the total number of cotton balls on both sides of the mitten to find the answer.
Subtraction Math Mats
In preparation for using the subtraction math mat, it is important to remind children that this mitten doesn’t have two parts because you will be subtracting from the whole mitten to find the answer.
Begin with rolling one die for the starting point.
Using a dry erase marker, write the number rolled on the die in the first box below the mitten, and then build the number with cotton balls.
Children will then roll the die again to find out how many cotton balls they will be taking away from their mitten and write that number in the second box.
Tip: Let students know that they must roll a number that is smaller than the number in box #1 so that their equation works out properly. If they roll a number larger than box #1, they should roll again.
The next step for completing the subtraction equation is to “take away” cotton balls from the mitten based on the second number rolled on the die.
Lastly, students will count how many cotton balls are remaining in the center of the mitten and then write the answer in the 3rd box.
Grab Your Free Copy
Ready for some winter addition and subtraction fun? Grab your free copy of these mitten math mats by clicking the large, yellow download button below!
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Thanks! great work
Thank you