These Giraffe Play Dough Mats will help your students practice counting and fine motor skills.
I have several new ideas sketched out for play dough math mats, and as I create them, I will add them to the blog. I will also make a new webpage where you will be able to locate all of the play dough math mats I make. [Update: the webpage with more play dough mats is now online.] Since we are currently exploring Safari Animals in our class this month, the first set of play dough mats is called “Feed the Giraffe“.
The top of each mat says “Give the giraffe [#] leaves.” Children will identify the numeral, and count out that amount of leaves to place on the tree for the giraffe. I’m calling these play dough math mats, because the children can create the leaves with bits of green play dough to place on the mat. However, you do not have to use play dough. You can also use green flat floral marbles for leaves or cut out simple leaf shapes from green craft foam. Or, you could spray paint lima beans green. I also have in my collection of manipulatives, a set of green plastic leaves that came with a bag of colored Fall leaves. I bought those at Michaels during the Fall. Use what you prefer, but I chose play dough as a manipulative because this way, we also accomplish the ever-important fine motor skills at the same time we are doing math.
I also made a mat that does not have a number, but simply says “Feed the giraffe some leaves.” This mat is for toddlers who are not ready for counting yet, but need to practice fine motor skills with play dough.
Click these images to download the play dough mats:
A good book to read with this activity is called “Feeding Time” by Lee Davis. The book explores the different types of foods that animals living on the African Savannah like to eat.
Great ideas, as always! Keep up the good work!
Love it! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks! Glad you like them!
Genius!!!!! Love these!!
thanks so much for these. I love them. We’ll def. be doing this activity!
Thank you for the great activities and printables on your website!! They are fantastic.
I LOVE how easy this will be to incorporate into the classroom! Thank you for letting us borrow your brilliant ideas! Amy
Thanks!
I love this! I especially appreciate the “blank” one because I can use it so many different ways: with numbers 1-10 for the little ones; numbers 11-20 for the little bit bigger ones; addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with the bigger ones; and even with letter cards and green letters for alphabet work!
Thank you so much for sharing!
Thanks for your very wonderful ideas! Could you make the giraffe toddler mat in black and white so I could save ink?
Thanks,
Betty
Hi, Betty! Thanks for visiting. When you print, check your options — there is one to print in black and white (it might say monotone). I can’t change it to black and white, because it would be very time consuming and tedious work to do, plus I think the majority of people are more interested in color mats. Sorry about that.
I love your website! This is my first year teaching preschool and you have such wonderful ideas! Thank you soooo much!
I love this! Thank you so much for sharing it. I can’t wait to use it.
Marla
Love the ideas! I always come to PreKinders first when planning for my preschool class. Thank you and keep it up!!!!
Hi Karen, I love your ideas and use them with my preschool speech therapy students. I noticed that you use the metal binder rings for your page protected books. I wanted to pass along my original (I think) idea that’s too good to be true. I discovered that zip ties are a great alternative. Just snip off the tail after adjusting them to where you need them. So much quieter, less bulky, and less expensive (and who can beat that combination!) They also come in different colors!
Thanks for sharing that idea, Rosemary! That’s perfect! Now why didn’t I think of that? 🙂