Summer has a particular taste. It’s the sweetness of sun-soaked afternoons filled with lemonade, ice cream, and popsicles followed by sunsets of s’mores. Can you taste summer now? So we’re going to make our summer math centers extra sweet – so delectably sweet that no one will be able to resist these summer math activities for preschoolers.
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Summer Lesson Plans
s'mores Stack
Summer Counting Activity
Do you prefer a standard s’more style or one with a little bit extra?
I’m definitely extra in this situation because I love adding peanut butter to my s’more.
And your preschoolers will love adding in all that extra gooeyness with this s’more counting activity.
Follow the recipe to see how many graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate bars to add to your s’more stack – the bigger the better, right?!?
We used leftover wood flooring (my husband is in the construction business) cut into squares as graham crackers, but you could just use cardboard squares.
For the chocolate and marshmallows, stiff felt works great. Tip: Trace a circle onto the white felt, and as you cut, make it wavy, creating your ooey-gooey marshmallow.
After you count and stack your s’more, pretend to gobble it up and sing the song: “Such a perfect treat!”
Materials:
- S'mores Stack Counting Activity
- wood or cardboard squares
- stiff white felt
- stiff brown felt
- 3 small tubs
Shape Picnic
Summer Math Activities for Preschoolers
You know what I love about picnics as a mom? The kids have to eat whatever I pack – no special orders for lunch. Ding! I foresee many poolside picnics this summer.
And just like packing a picnic makes lunchtime so much easier, going on a shape picnic makes learning 2D shapes like a walk in the park.
Your preschoolers will love taking foods out of the picnic basket and sorting them onto the matching shape plate. They won’t even realize they’re learning. And with four different placemats (square, triangle, circle, and rectangle), it’s perfect for setting up a pretend picnic at a table. Yummy!
Materials:
- Shape Picnic
- small box or picnic basket
Popsicle Patterns
Summer Math Center
The summer heat can be unbearable, but you can make it more bearable with a popsicle – pun intended (see those adorable bears on the cards).
And it’s incredibly bearable since this popsicle pattern activity is FREE – perfect for your summer math activities for preschoolers.
You’ll need: pool noodle slices, snap cubes, or Lego blocks in red, blue, green, and yellow. Oh, and, of course, popsicle sticks.
Have your students build the pattern on the popsicle stick from bottom to top. Then say the pattern while pretending to lick between each bite (totally optional but totally fun).
Download this delicious summer math activity for free!
Materials:
- Popsicle Patterns
- mini and regular popsicle sticks
- pool noodles OR
- snap cubes OR
- Duplo Legos
Ice Cream Stack
Number Identification
Can ice cream please be the main food group?
Ice cream is a timeless treat that everyone loves (even my dairy-free girls), which means it’s perfectly sweet for learning!
This ice cream stacking activity is a fun and easy way for preschoolers to learn number recognition with tally marks, ten frames, numerals, counting fingers, and dots.
To get started, all you need to do is print out the numbered ice cream cones and arrange them in numerical order. Then, cut out the colored scoops, each with a different arrangement to count, such as ten frames or dots.
Then, your students can get to stacking their ice cream cones with the scoops that match the numeral on the cone.
As they build their ice cream towers, they’ll also be building that foundational number sense through subitizing and counting. So go ahead and enjoy some delicious learning today!
Materials:
Weigh the Water Balloons
Non-Standard Measurement
Do you dare bring water balloons into your classroom?
Tip: This activity is a lot less scary (think toddler squeezing a water balloon until it pops in their face scary) if you use regular balloons. They are thicker and far more challenging to break.
With that in mind, fill up the heaviest water balloon first. I tried to make it equal to ten plastic ice cubes since my little one is working on counting and number identification to ten. Then, fill up the rest of the balloons with different amounts but less water than the first.
Your kiddos (not the balloons) will be bursting with excitement to get their hands on those real-life water balloons; they won’t even realize they’ll be working on so many different skills. Counting, non-standard measurement, color identification, and number identification are some of the skills tied up in this water balloon weight activity.
And the best part: it’s a free water balloon activity. Snatch yours up now!
Materials:
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MORE Summer Activities
If you’re looking for some fun summer math activities for preschoolers to continue learning over the break, look no further! These five activities are so sweet, and they’ll help your students practice a range of skills from counting and identifying shapes to non-standard measurement and working with patterns. Plus, they’re all easy to set up and adaptable for your class. So why wait? Get started on your summer math centers today!
