Bring the ABCs to life by following the adventures of Mat Man and his friends! Mat Man stories are perfect for introducing letters, shapes, opposites, and a whole range of other topics into your Pre-K and kindergarten classrooms. Our list of fun activities is perfect for building the foundational literacy skills your kids need to succeed! Grab your letter shape tiles, and extra bottle caps, and get ready to read!
1. Mat Man Books
Begin your Mat Man journey with a collection of visual stories. Read aloud stories about shapes, opposites, rhyming, and more! Your students can take turns sounding out words to build cognitive skills on letter recognition.
Learn More: Amazon
2. Mat Man Templates
This template is a simple, one-time prep activity for all your Mat Man needs! The basic shapes can be used to build Mat Man or used for letter building. Print the template and supervise your kids as they practice fine motor skills by cutting out the shapes with safety scissors.
Learn More: Scribd
3. Mat Man Sequencing Activity
Learn about sequence skills by working together to assemble Mat Man piece by piece. This sequencing activity helps students understand how to correctly put things in order. Feel free to practice vocabulary like then, next, and finally to enhance the lesson!
Learn More: Mrs. Silky Cactus
4. Create Your Own Mat Man
Once you’ve covered sequencing, your students can build their very own Mat Man! For a super fun beginning of-the-year activity, kids can add additional details to make their Mat Man look like themselves. Share their creations during circle time to introduce everyone.
Learn More: Danver’s Shining Stars
5. Digital Mat Man
If your kids are all about the tech, you could use Mat Man activity downloads to keep them engaged! Students work on fine motor skills by dragging the digital pieces across the board. Make sure they rotate the pieces to fit correctly.
Learn More: Clever
6. Learning Shape Components with Mat Man
Straight lines, curved lines, circles, and squares! Mat Man’s template is perfect for beginner lessons on shapes. After you’ve discussed the shapes and assembled Mat Man, create a scavenger hunt to find different shapes around the classroom or outside at recess.
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7. Practicing Shapes With Mat Man
Explore the world of shapes by designing a dazzling array of Mat Man bodies! Give your students paper ovals, moons, stars, triangles, and squares. Paste their shape to a Mat Man template and decorate. Display them around the room and take turns identifying the shapes.
Learn More: TPT
8. Mat Man Sing-Along
Make your Mat Man building time a multisensory activity! Grab your Mat Man template pieces. Then, sing and build along with the song. The catchy tune will help kids remember the parts of the body and their specific functions.
Learn More: Julia Cory
9. Animal Shapes and Bodies
Extend Mat Man lessons to include friends from the animal kingdom. Using the same basic shapes, your students can design their favorite animals; real or imaginary! This activity is great for discussing animals and their habitats, or how to care for pets at home.
Learn More: Pinterest
10. Discovering Texture with Mat Man
Multisensory activities are fantastic for developing cognitive skills! Cut various shapes out of different recycled materials and let your kids explore the world of texture. Expand the activity to discuss similarities and differences by creating a Mat Man from a single material and another from a mix of materials.
Learn More: Childhood 101
11. 3D Mat Men
Give your classroom personality with 3D, life-sized Mat Men! Students can collect recycled materials that resemble the shapes of their Mat Man templates. After they’ve painted faces on paper plates, help with assembly by cutting legs and armholes in the main body box.
Learn More: Pinterest
12. Exploring Body Movements
Mat Man activities are awesome for talking about body movements. Students create a Mat Man standing in a funky position. Hang the pictures on a board and have students share what parts of the body are moving in their picture. Then, they can copy the positions for some indoor exercise!
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13. Labeling Body Parts
See how well your students remember lessons on Mat Man’s body parts. Print and laminate for students to label the body parts of a blank Mat Man template. Let them try to label everything on their own or in small groups before giving any hints.
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14. Holiday-Themed Mat Men
Celebrate the holidays! Dress your Mat Man as a scarecrow, pilgrim, snowman, or Leprechaun depending on the season. These crafts are awesome for learning about the holidays, colors, and seasonal clothing items!
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15. Letter Building
Wooden letter building blocks are a great product for Mat Man lesson plans. The curved and straight line shapes are perfect for crafting Mat Man’s body or for learning about letter formation! After building the letters together, students can trace the shapes to practice writing skills.
Learn More: Mama of Many Blessings
16. Many Hats of Mat Man
Play dress-up with your Mat Man! Give your kids a variety of different hats. Then ask them to imagine what Mat Man would do in that outfit. A super fun way to talk about jobs and responsibilities.
Learn More: Kidspace
17. All About Me
This fun printable helps kiddos build important reading skills! Each page has simple tasks for them to complete: identifying body parts and coloring others. After your kids find a part of Mat Man, see if they can find it on themselves!
Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers
18. Discovering the Human Body with Mat Man
This amusing printable is all about guts! The stackable pieces show kids where their organs are located. As you put the puzzle back together, talk about each organ’s function and how it helps keep the body strong.
Learn More: @MrsBauer_BT
19. Robot Mat Men
Mat Man doesn’t have to be human! Robots introduce all new kinds of shapes to your kids’ vocabulary. Kids can stretch their creativity by designing robots of all shapes and sizes. Ask them to show you how their robot moves and groves.
Learn More: Pinterest
20. Mat Man Snacks
Finish your Mat Man activity unit with a tasty treat. Graham crackers, pretzels, and candies are perfect for this snack. Or, if you want a healthier version, substitute with orange slices, carrot sticks, and grapes!
Learn More: Pinterest
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