Ice cream is always a hit with my kids, even if it is of the pretend kind! We love incorporating play and manipulatives into our learning as much as we can, and these free Ice Cream Counting Mats are the perfect activity for working on numbers and counting scoops of “ice cream” to 12!
*Pair with our Kindergarten Printables BUNDLE for Summer!
Ice Cream Counting Mats
One of our favorite pretend activities is our ice cream shop, where my kids get to use fun ice cream bowls and spoons. I figured we could definitely use them outside of that activity, too! So I decided to add some numbered “bowls” to a math center for a counting activity.
How to Prep and Play
To prep, I printed out the bowls and laminated them before cutting them apart. I just knew my kids would love this activity and laminating the counting mats made them durable and reusable!
Next, I placed the bowls on the table as well as some plastic ice cream bowls and spoons. I also added some pom poms inside the real bowls for our pretend ice cream.
RELATED RESOURCE: Counting Centers and Activities for Pre-K & Kindergarten
First, I played with a small group of students. We each grabbed an ice cream bowl counting mat and read the number on it. Then, we used the spoon to scoop out that many pom poms.
Using the spoon as the tool to pick up the pom poms is a great fine motor activity for hand control and scooping.
We put the correct number of pom poms on the counting mat or “in the bowls” to serve the ice cream!
This activity was definitely a hit. I heard more than once, “I would like 12 scoops of real ice cream, teacher!”
Grab Your FREE Set
Ready to count and scoop some ice cream? Grab your free copy of the Ice Cream Counting Mats by clicking the large, yellow download button at the end of the post!
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Thanks so much, great ideas 💕
Cara,
We are so happy that you are enjoying our activities and resources! Have a great day! 🙂