We do number and letter activities often and so I wanted to create an inexpensive, but durable mat for number/letter matching, recognition, and counting.
I ended up making this simple mat with a rug from Ikea that had never found a good spot in our home. I was super pleased with its simplicity and the boys have enjoyed playing with it. Right now they mostly enjoy the counting side and have shown exceptional preference for counting edible things, like Cheerios. But I like that it’s pretty open ended in how it can be used and can continue to be used down the road for more advanced activities as well, like alphabet scavenger hunts or matching with other learning manipulatives.
MATERIALS
- Small Rug (I used this one from IKEA and it was only a few dollars.)
- Felt Letter Stickers (I used these ones from Hobby Lobby.)
- Hot Glue Gun
INSTRUCTIONS
- The letters we used do have adhesive on the back, but I always use hot glue with them after peeling off the paper backing. So far we haven’t had any issues with them coming loose.
ACTIVITIES
- Simple Counting—Right now we’ll use this mat sometimes for snack time. The boys will point to a number and we count out that many of the snack for them to eat.
- Ring/Bean Bag Toss—A ring toss could also be paired with the simple counting above. A wooden ring or paper plate or rolled up pair of socks can be tossed onto the mat and then they can help to count out that many of the snack. Or for older children you can add up the numbers to see who can get to twenty-one first.
- Matching—Both the letters and numbers alike can be used for matching. You simply need some sort of loose letter/numbers (Wooden Alphabet Blocks, Alphabet Flashcards, Tactile Number Cards, Number/Alphabet Lids, puzzle pieces, etc.).
- Scavenger Hunt—The alphabet side was created with this activity in mind. It can serve as a home base for an alphabet scavenger hunt. For the ”A” we might find an alligator magnet. For ”C” we might find a small car. For ”P” a pinecone. This can be done using toys, bits of nature outside, kitchen items, etc.
