To help my learners practice and increase their general understanding of number sense and numeration, I used ‘Counting Sheep’ activities. There are so many fun and engaging activities that can be used to teach learners about number sense and numeration.
Did you know that by the age of 7, most learners are able to show that they understand the concept of counting. Learners generally show this by counting forward to 100 and backwards from 20! It sounds complex, but with the right kinds of hands on activities and lessons that allow them to manipulate the materials into understanding, learners are more than capable!
Take a look at these fun and engaging ‘counting sheep’ activities that helped my learners enhance their number sense and numeration skills.
Specific skills practiced and developed throughout activities:
- Counting:
- Demonstrate the concept of one-to-one correspondence while counting
- Count forward by 1’s, 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s
- Count backwards by 1’s – starting at any number
- Representing Numbers
- Representing numbers in different ways
- Reading numbers in written words
- Comparing Quantities
- Counting using one-to-one correspondence
Literacy and Numeracy
Because I think literacy is so important and that it should be implemented in every activity and lesson regardless of subject, I always started off with a book and then implemented my counting sheep activities.
Here are some great books about or with sheep that you can start with!
Sheep Number Sense and Numeration Activities
After you read some sheep themed books, I am sure you’ll have a lot of questions to answer, and lots to talk about! Some of the questions I often got were:
What do sheep eat?
Samantha
What do sheep feel like?
Siara
What kinds of babies do sheep have?
Manvinder
Can you really count sheep to go to sleep? Do you?
Jess
So you can imagine we had lots to talk about! I was actually surprised at how much the children were interested in this theme, so I was able to implement fun and engaging activities. Here are some of the math number sense and numeration activities that we worked with, and are available for you too!
3 Part Sheep Puzzles!
These 3 part puzzles are fun and super cute!
This activity is perfect for encouraging your learner to recognize written numbers, as the number words are sandwiched between the numbers.
Match all the corresponding puzzle pieces to complete the puzzles
Activity includes 10 3 Part Puzzles (numbers 1 – 10)
Download the 3 Part Sheep Puzzles here!
Sheep Cotton Ball Counting Mats
Use the sheep counting mats to practice counting to 10, and one-to-one correspondence.
Simply instruct your learner to place the correct number of cotton balls on the mats.
These mats are so versatile and open-ended that you can also use them in other ways!
Pro Tip! Use reusable dry erase pouches so you can use the sheets over and over!
Activity Includes 10 Sheep Counting Mats
Download the Sheep Counting Mats here!
Counting Sheep in Ten Frames!
Subitizing is super important for increasing your learner’s overall sense of numbers.
Instruct your learner to either match the sheeps or the numbers to the corresponding ten frames.
Pro Tip! Use velcro circles on the sheep and number tiles for easy application
Activity Includes 2 10 frame sheets, 11 sheep tiles, 10 number tiles
Download the Counting Sheep in Ten Frames Activity here!
Numbered 1- 5 Counting Sheep Puzzles
If you’ve followed this site for some time, you’ll notice how much I love puzzles!
Puzzles are great! They work on so many different skills, and allow your learner to really get hands-on with their thinking.
Complete the puzzles and reveal the ‘secret’ number on the sheep!
Activity Includes 10 Counting Sheep Puzzles
Download the Numbered 1-5 Counting Sheep Puzzles here!
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