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PSPKK1236 Comments

Marshmallow addition

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Looking for a winter-themed preschool and kindergarten addition center? Look no further!

free marshmallow addition mat

Recently I asked my readers what they’d like to see more of at The Measured Mom®.  Many of you asked for more early math activities and centers.

So… here you are! 

preschool and kindergarten addition center for winter 2

Prep is simple!  Just print the counting mat and marshmallow numbers.  Then cut apart the numbers and provide a small bowl of mini marshmallows.

To play

  1. Have your child choose two paper marshmallow numbers from the pile and place them on his math mat.
  2. Next, he should count and add marshmallows to the mat.
  3. Have your child count all the marshmallows to find the sum.  We found it easier to count the final number as we took the numbers off, one by one, and put them back in the bowl. It was easier to keep track that way.
  4. Extension: Older preschoolers or kindergartners may record the addition facts on the recording sheet.

preschool and kindergarten addition center for winter 1

This was my just-turned-Four’s introduction to addition, and he loved it.  Here’s what some of our conversation sounded like:

“Today you’re going to do some addition.  Do you know what this little cross means?”

“No.”

“It means plus.  We’re going to add numbers to see how many we have altogether. This is called addition.  Let’s start by choosing two paper numbers to put on the mat.”

“I’m going to do 1 + 1.”

“Great! Now put one marshmallow on top for the first number.  Add another one for the second number.  How many is 1+1?”

“That’s easy.  Two!”

“Let’s try another one.”

“I’m going to do 8 + 2.”

“What do you think that will equal?”

“I guess eleven.  Let’s see if I’m right… Oh, it’s ten.”

preschool and kindergarten addition center for winter 3

Other learning prompts

  • “How many do you think you’ll get when you add ___ and ___? Why do you think that?”
  • “Which of these numbers is bigger?”
  • “What do you notice when you add 0 to a number?”
  • “What do you notice when you add 1 to a number?”
  • “Let’s switch the numbers around. Do you think the answer will be bigger, smaller, or the same?”

Some children may be ready for addition vocabulary.  Talk about the words addend and sum.

preschool and kindergarten addition center for winter 4

When my Five got home from morning kindergarten, I pulled out the mat for him as well.  I added a recording sheet because he already has a good understanding of addition.  I wanted him to practice writing his numbers.

preschool and kindergarten addition center for winter 5

He’s not always excited to do learning activities with me after a morning at school, but the word “marshmallow” was all it took. 😉  I removed the numbers 0-2 from the pile to ensure that he had practice adding high numbers.

Each of my boys was allowed to have a single marshmallow when they began the activity and when they ended it.  The rest were stored for a future lesson or craft.

We hope you enjoy this one!

P.S. Did you know?

When you join our low-cost monthly membership, you’ll get instant access to 2000+ printable resources for Pre-K to third grade! Click here to learn more.

Get your free winter addition center pages!

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Free Math Printables for Pre-K-3rd Grade

Join our email list and get this sample pack of time-saving resources from our membership site! You'll get printables for counting, addition and subtraction, measuring, problem solving, and more!

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Filed Under: Addition & Subtraction, Math Tagged With: Pre-K, kindergarten, winter

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Reader Interactions

6 Comments

  1. Kathleen Wright

    January 17, 2016 at 10:19 am

    Thanks, Anna, for sharing your resources. I bought two bags of mini-marshmallows the other day knowing that I’d be able to use them in my K class for math SOME way… and here it is. My kiddos will love this in these long gray cold days of winter. I appreciate your generosity! Kathleen Kidpeople Classroom

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      January 18, 2016 at 5:04 pm

      So glad you can use this, Kathleen!

      Reply to this comment
  2. marelag

    January 17, 2016 at 7:49 am

    Thanks for sharing your products and great ideas!
    having a new baby and other kids to take care is sometimes overwhelming, but as mother, you know eventually will run smoothly, you will need just more patience to run your kingdom.God Bless you to you all!

    Reply to this comment
    • Anna Geiger

      January 18, 2016 at 5:01 pm

      Yes, more patience is definitely key. 🙂 Thank you, Marelag!

      Reply to this comment

Trackbacks

  1. Christmas Addition Mats for Preschool - Stay At Home Educator says:
    November 19, 2023 at 2:23 pm

    […] Christmas Tree Counting Activity […]

    Reply to this comment
  2. Weekly Math Freebie Round Up! - Math Geek Mama says:
    January 30, 2016 at 6:01 am

    […] love this fun marshmallow addition set from The Measured Mom! My kids saw this open on the computer and said, “Cool! Do we get to do that!?” So […]

    Reply to this comment

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