Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Holidays are my favorite for themed activities. It is so fun to incorporate the exciting holiday themes with learning and development activities that kids need to do. Typically, this helps encourage children to learn because they think they are ‘just playing’. They don’t realize just how beneficial the activities actually are! This is the case with these Turkey Counting Mats. They are so much fun yet they are perfect for strengthening counting, number recognition, and 1:1 correspondence skills.
Turkey Counting Mats
These printable mats are the perfect Thanksgiving counting activity. It is super simple to prep and easy for kids to play, even on their own.
This set is highly versatile!
It includes a full color set as well as a black and white set. So whether you are using it at home or in the classroom, there is one for you!
The mat is designed for counting, but if your children are working on addition or subtraction, you can use these mats for them too! The feathers we’ve included are all separate from each other. So if you need more than what is included, you can simply print extra pages of feathers. This makes the options practically endless!
Prepping This Counting Activity
Once you print the set, prepping is easy. Cut out the feathers. Optionally, you can laminate the pieces. This will help keep the activity safe from little hands but is absolutely not required.
If you choose to laminate, you can use a dry erase marker on the recording sheet.
The recording sheet has the table but is otherwise blank. This will make it easy for you to customize the game to meet your child’s needs. You can see in the picture the various ways that the recording sheet can be used.
You will also need a pair of dice.
Playing With This Activity
When children are ready to play, they will roll the two dice. Count the dots on the dice and record it on the recording sheet. Next, add that number of feathers to the turkey. I like to ask my children to count as they place the feathers on. The more practice, the better. At this point, you can start over again if you’d like.
We added extra slots to the recording sheet so that number sense can be explored too. You could have the child write the dots of the dice, the numeral, the number word, tally marks, or more.
Other Ideas:
- Use colorful feathers from the craft store, instead of the printable feathers.
- Hide the feathers around the room, ask your child to find them and bring them back for the turkey. Once they are all collected, the child can count the feathers as they are placed on the turkey.
- Use the same process but with addition. The first dice is the first part of the equation, the second dice being the second. Record the answer & problem on the recording sheet.
Get your free download below and have fun with this Thanksgiving counting mat activity!