Marshmallow addition

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

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! 

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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?

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