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Is it just me or is it never possible to have too many activities to work on counting skills in TK, Pre-K, and Kindergarten? As an early childhood teacher, I am always looking for new and engaging ways to strengthen important math skills like number recognition and counting. This free Bears in the Cave Counting Game will add tons of hands-on learning fun to your math centers and is sure to be a hit with your students!
*Pair with our Play and Learn with Manipulatives Bundle for Pre-K & Kindergarten!
This Bears in the Cave printable activity is a perfect game to play when working on 5 or 10 frames, one-to-one correspondence, and cutting and pasting skills. Your students will be building so many skills in one simple and super fun activity!
The download includes 2 versions for counting within 5 and 10, making it perfect for meeting the needs of all your early learners!
Adding this counting game into your lessons or math centers couldn’t be easier. It requires almost no prep work and can be ready in an instant. Simply choose which version you would like your students to work on and print the copies of the Bears in the Cave math mats and corresponding cut and paste printables.
Grab some counting bears, crayons, scissors, and glue and you’re ready to play!
Teacher Tip: Laminate the math mats or slip them into a sheet protector. This makes them durable so they can be used over and over again throughout the year!
To start, I like to introduce this counting game in small groups where we each take turns picking a number. Then we count aloud as we place that number of bears in the cave. This is great practice for one-to-one correspondence.
Encourage practice with subitizing by using jumbo dice to determine the number of bears to put in the cave!
When we are finished working as a group, each student is given their own copy of the Bears in the Cave cut and paste printable to complete independently.
I let them begin by coloring the bears before they cut each bear out and glue them into the cave.
For those that are ready for an extra challenge, you could turn this counting game into an addition activity!
Give the students two colors of crayons to color the bears. Then, together, make an addition equation to see which combinations of bears make 5 or 10!
Are you ready to start counting bears with your kiddos? Get your free copy of the Bears in the Cave Counting Game by clicking the large, yellow download button at the end of the post!
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