Here’s one for all those little bug hunters out there – some printable ladybug counting playdough mats.
And what better way to develop some early math skills and fine motor skills than playing with playdough?
Playing with playdough has been shown to have so many amazing benefits for children, so why not sneak in some math learning while their having so much fun?
PS, if you don’t have any playdough to hand, or your supplies are running low, here’s a super easy, no-cook playdough recipe that’s worth checking out.
What Skills Can Your Children Learn And Practice?
When playing with these ladybug counting playdough mats, your little learners will have the chance to practice and develop some early math skills such as:
- Counting skills – they’ll have to count the spots carefully to ensure they are making the right amount
- Number recognition – these mats can help them to improve their number recognition as they associate the amount of raindrops with the written form of the number
- Number formation – shaping the dough into the correct shapes for the numbers can be a wonderful, hands-on way to reinforce number formation, especially for those not ready to write them yet
- One to one correspondence – this important skill (trickier than you may think) is the ability to only touch and count an object of a set once.
They will also have the chance to improve some non-math skills such as:
- Fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination – when they are molding the playdough into spots, balls or numbers they will have to use these skills to ensure they make the correct shapes
- Hand strength and dexterity – playing with playdough can be a great way to improve these important pre-writing skills
- Pencil grip – if your child is ready to have a go at the writing part
I’ve created these ladybug playdough mats for the numbers 1-10.
How To Prepare These Ladybug Counting Playdough Mats
What you’ll need:
- Ladybug playdough mats (click on the download box at the bottom of the page’)
- Playdough (if you fancy making your own with your little ones, you can find a cheap and very easy no-cook recipe here)
There’s no cutting involved here unless you want to trim around the edges of the mats.
Once you’ve downloaded them, you’ll just need to print them off onto paper or card.
Then you’ll probably want to laminate them to ensure they don’t get ruined by the dough.
After that you’re all done!
Let your kids practice their math skills in a fun doughy way!
