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The Pigeon Counts! Game

By Karen Cox | Affiliate Disclosure | Filed Under: Numbers and Counting, Reading & Book Activities

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Here’s a simple math game you can use as a book-tivity with any of the Pigeon books by Mo Willems. The newest Pigeon book was released today, April 1st! The new book is called The Pigeon Needs a Bath! (this is an Amazon affiliate link).

Mo Willems Pigeon Counting Game

To play this game you will need some small cubes, such as linking cubes, or a similar manipulative. You could also use lima beans. You will need to print out the Pigeon, which you can find on coloring sheets available at PigeonPresents.com. (I am not able to provide a printable for this due to copyright.) Coloring sheets can be found in the Teachers’ Guides on the Grown Up Stuff section of Pigeon Presents. “The Duckling Gets a Cookie Event Kit” and “The Pigeon Wants a Puppy Event Kit” both have Pigeon coloring pages.

coloring sheet for the pigeon math game

Color and cut around the pigeon’s outline and laminate if you choose. Give each child about 10 cubes. The cubes will need to fit in their hand(s), so use something that isn’t too large.

To play the game, children will drop a handful of cubes onto the Pigeon. They will count how many cubes landed on the Pigeon and how many cubes are off. (If it lands on the white part of the paper, but off the pigeon, we still consider it “on”.) You could have them compare to see which has the most cubes: on or off. You could also have children record their answers by writing the numeral on a dry erase board or paper. Children who are not yet able to write the numbers could stamp them if you have a set of number stamps.

Math with Mo Willems' Pigeon

This game could be adapted to work with any storybook character or any theme by using a different clipart image.

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21 Comments

About Karen Cox

Karen is the founder of PreKinders.com. She also works as a full-time Pre-K teacher in Georgia. Read more...

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Emilia says

    April 1, 2014 at 3:24 pm

    Thanks very much for this math activity and for all the informations you are making available for us.

    Reply
  2. Sandy G says

    April 1, 2014 at 3:43 pm

    Karen, I love the updated website! Thanks again for sharing your great ideas. A year into preschool and I am still grasping for ideas to run smoothly. Your site is on of my fave top 2 go – to sites! Thanks again!

    Reply
    • Karen Cox says

      April 1, 2014 at 5:59 pm

      Thanks so much, Sandy! I appreciate the nice comment. Hope you are having a great year.

      Reply
  3. Anne says

    April 1, 2014 at 3:53 pm

    Hello from France !
    I’ve discovered your website looking for interesting activities for my disabled students.
    And I find your ideas welldone.

    Thank you for your sharing.
    Read you soon !!
    Anne

    Reply
    • Karen Cox says

      April 1, 2014 at 6:00 pm

      Hi Anne, thanks for stopping by my site. Hope you find many ideas to help your students!

      Reply
  4. L. Dawn Fischer says

    April 1, 2014 at 4:55 pm

    Love your stuff.

    Reply
  5. Stephanie Schuler says

    April 1, 2014 at 5:34 pm

    Great activity! Thanks for sharing! Might have to try it out with one of my classes next week.

    Reply
  6. Jacqueline (I teach Pre-K too!) says

    April 1, 2014 at 6:47 pm

    Simple & cute! I like the idea of having my pre-kers write the numbers after they count the manipulatives! We are working on teen number right now, but I’m sure I can find a bigger picture of a ‘famous’ character that will engage them and maybe use smaller manipulatives! Thanks so much for another wonderful idea!

    -Jacqueline

    Reply
  7. sajlaa faiq says

    April 2, 2014 at 2:11 am

    Hello Karen, Thank you for your wonderful ideas I am very impressed by, but I need you to help if possible can you give me new ideas for the development of micro muscle to kindergarten children ** with my gratitude and appreciation
    SAJLAA

    Reply
  8. Linda says

    April 2, 2014 at 9:00 am

    Thank you so much for the weekly activities, the prekinder teachers at my campus implement them immediately! Looking forward for many wonderful ideas!

    Reply
  9. Bertha says

    April 3, 2014 at 1:19 am

    I love your ideas and appreciate that you share them with all us. Thanks.

    Bertha

    Reply
  10. Olaide Adeyemo says

    April 3, 2014 at 4:58 pm

    Great motivation for counting. Fun activity plus competition would move kids to participate and learn to count. Thanks Karen.

    Reply
  11. ora says

    April 9, 2014 at 8:04 am

    You are #1! This is the best website ever. I have beem teaching for over 30 plus years, and I am always amazed in what I see.

    Reply
  12. Catherine Smith-Gayle says

    April 10, 2014 at 5:43 pm

    Karen your activities are so simulating, my children just love them

    Reply
  13. Catherine Geraghty says

    April 17, 2014 at 8:44 am

    Hi greetings from Ireland, your a fab website – currently getting pre schoolers ready for the big day so all your activities are really helpful – cheers Catherine

    Reply
  14. Nancy Pittman says

    April 24, 2014 at 2:11 pm

    I also teach (NC) PreK. I love the simplicity of your activities. Also the availability of the things you use. The children are able to do these without feeling overwhelmed. Then they add to them too. Thank you

    Reply
  15. Robin says

    April 27, 2014 at 4:56 pm

    Love this idea! I’ve seen this called an “On/Off game” at a Ga Pre k workshop. I’ve done this with Carson Dellosa cutout notepad sheets and table scatter, larger confetti cutouts and shaped erasers. We use a small plastic cup to hold the pieces. It’s fun with holiday themed objects, also.

    Reply
  16. zahida says

    July 17, 2014 at 12:45 pm

    Hi Karen
    I stumbled upon your site and have loved reading all the stuff. Hope to implement in my class as the need arises.

    Thanks so much for all the wonderful ideas,
    zahida

    Reply
  17. Emmanuel Alarty Thompson says

    April 11, 2016 at 7:43 am

    Hello Karen,

    I am very impressed with the resources you are providing to the public, keep it up. I am preparing to establish Free Early Childhood Education in my Country Ghana. Stay blessed.

    Reply
  18. Cristina says

    December 10, 2017 at 11:42 am

    Thanks very much for this math activity and for all the informations!

    Best regardes from Germany!

    Reply
  19. Stephanie says

    August 9, 2019 at 7:58 pm

    Super fun idea- I love it!

    Reply

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Glad you're here! You'll find hands-on learning activities, themes, and printables for Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten kids. I'm Karen Cox, a Pre-K teacher in Georgia. I have taught 4-5 year olds for 20+ years! Read More…

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Welcome!
Would you like to join my FREE weekly update newsletter? Join 85,000+ subscribers!
We collect, use, and process your data according to our Privacy Policy.
Don't worry - we never sell or share email addresses!