While these activities were selected with the "number 4" in mind, most of these activities will work for any number. These math skills are also geared towards busy toddlers, but may also be used for remediation or reinforcement for younger grades.
1. Road numbers
In this activity, kids pick their favorite matchbox car and trace the number by staying on the road using a printed or homemade learning board. After some practice, you could also have students use paint on the matchbox car wheels and try to make their own road. This activity builds motor skills, and writing skills and reinforces number recognition.
Learn more: Gift of Curiosity
2. Ice Cream Math
Kids will love this hands-on math activity, and it's a great way to review counting skills after the summer, or reinforce them at the end of the year! In this fun counting activity, each construction paper "ice cream cone" is marked with a number, and students place the appropriate number of pompom "ice cream scoops" on top of the cone.
Learn more: Fun A Day
3. Dot Painting
This fun activity can be completed in a variety of ways--with a dot painter, with stickers, or even with inked thumbprints. It also reinforces math skills like number recognition.
Learn more: Twisty Noodle
4. Number Find
On this fun math sheet, students are challenged to find the number four in a field of numbers. You could also have students complete this on their own devices for a simple digital math activity.
Learn more: Twisty Noodle
5. Playdough Number Smash
In this hands-on math project, parents can roll out several playdough numbers for their children. Then, they ask their child to find a particular number and smash it. The activity could be extended by adding letters, and other symbols or even asking the preschooler to make their own numbers.
Learn more: Crafts on Sea
6. Alphabet Animal Crafts
In this adorable reproducible book, children can color, cut out and paste fins, wings, ears, and more on the number 4 as well as the rest of numbers 1-10 and the alphabet. This is a great creative learning activity for little ones.
Learn more: Amazon
7. Sticker Number Match
All you need is some colored dot stickers, a marker, and butcher paper for this learning activity. After pre-writing numbers on the dots, children have to the correct sticker inside the number's outline. This fun hands-on activity is also great for developing fine motor skills.
Learn more: Busy Toddler
8. Post it Note Number Match
Similar to the previous activity, in this counting game, preschoolers must match up the post-it note with the Arabic number with the correct number of dots on the wall. This fun game could be extended to kindergarten children by making it into a race.
Learn more: Busy Toddler
9. Counting to Number 4 with Sesame Street
Sing and practice counting to four with characters from the beloved children's show, Sesame Street, and singer, Feist.
Learn more: Sesame Street
10. Groovy Button Scavenger Hunt
In this fun button activity, children are tasked with picking out four red buttons, or four small buttons, or...be creative with categories or change up the number. This hands-on learning activity could even be turned into some fun math art. This could also easily be turned into a shape sorter activity.
Learn more: Amazon
11. Fish in the Pond
Kids love counting activities that involve food! In this hands-on counting game, students place the correct number of goldfish crackers in each of the "ponds"--and get to enjoy a tasty snack at the end. This is a great way to reinforce counting up to four. Similarly, ponds could become different cookie shapes and students could count with chocolate chips.
Learn more: Oh Hey Let's Play
12. Number 4 Puzzle
This simple puzzle is a great way to introduce the number 4, and what it looks like. Students can also get some motor practice by cutting up their puzzles ahead of time.
Learn more: Twisty Noodle
13. Pumpkin Pie Puzzle
These math manipulatives are great for students ready to take it to the next level. The set includes numbers 1-10 but could be introduced in pieces. Students have to match dice, pumpkins, tallies, and Arabic number together to form a pie.
Learn more: 123 Homeschool 4 Me
14. Kite-Themed Math
This fun number activity is wonderful for the spring. Students attach pipe cleaners to each sheet of paper and then string the correct number of beads on each kite's tail. This is a great way to practice counting skills.
Learn more: Teach Beside Me
15. Number 4
This math video from Smile and Learn teaches young ones to count objects, what 4 is called, how to trace it, and more. It's lots of fun for preschoolers, and a great way to introduce a new number.
Learn more: Smile and Learn - English
16. The Number Four
This hilarious and catchy song about the number four is such an entertaining way to reinforce basic math skills. In this fun math lesson, the song provides lots of familiar and unique examples of the number four.
Learn more: Netflix Jr.
17. Number Hop
This slightly harder math worksheet is still a fun math game to reinforce 4. Students have to either find the number 4 or sets of 4 dots to get the frog across the circles.
Learn more: Clever Learner
8. Hands-On Number Worksheets
This counting printable is available for number 4, and all the other numbers 1-10. This learning experience combines a variety of activities and is a great way for students to practice several math ideas.
Learn more: The Measured Mom
19. Number Sensory Bin Hunt
This creative learning idea is an exciting way to wrap up a math lesson plan. In this fun counting game, bury foam numbers in shaving cream in a bin. As students discover numbers, they have to wash them off in a separate bin and then match them on a number line.
Learn more: Happy Toddler Playtime
20. Outdoor Number line
This fun learning activity is great for the outdoors. Using chalk, draw a large outdoor number line. Then ask children to walk to number 4, or hop to number 1. This is a great way to introduce the concept of more or less, an important foundation of math.
Learn more: Empowered Parents
21. Nature Walk
Discover math concepts in the real world! Outdoor activities for preschoolers are a great way to promote discovery and reinforce math skills. Go on a walk in the neighborhood or in the woods and ask students to find examples of the number 4 in nature (ex: groups of leaves, clovers, ducks, etc).
22. The Number 4
This colorful book by Ella Hawley is a great math picture book to add to a counting unit! It highlights the number four in everyday life. Children practice counting throughout the book.
Learn more: Amazon
23. Shape Sorter
In the original activity, kids sort colorful shapes into matching ice cube slots. This shape sorter activity with ice cube trays can be easily extended for students to practice not only sorting geometric shapes but numbers as well.
Learn more: Mess for Less
24. 123 (4) Parking Lot
This letter matching activity facilitates children matching upper and lowercase letters by parking cars. Similarly, by changing the labels and "parking lot", kids could practice matching Arabic numbers to dots, groups of objects, tallies, and more. This activity encourages child number recognition, an important concept for children.
Learn more: 7 Days of Play
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