Hands-On Counting Activities for Early Childhood

Bear Counting Activity for Early Childhood
Photo Source: Rockabye Butterfly

Provide your youngsters with plenty of counting practice using these creative ideas featured on Rockabye Butterfly! Two of the activities even involve fine motor skills - two essential skills combined into one great activity.

Counting Bears

Place a different number of sorting bears into individual baggies and label each bag with a letter (anywhere from 6-10 bags for the activity).

Bear Counting Activity Bags
Photo Source: Rockabye Butterfly

Next, create a worksheet for your kiddos with a question asking how many bears are in each bag.

Helpful Hint: If you want to reuse the activity in a classroom center, be sure to laminate the sheet and provide a dry erase marker for answering!

Worksheet for Bear Counting Activity
Photo Source: Rockabye Butterfly

Have your kiddos work through the worksheet by finding the correct bag, counting the number of bears and recording their answers on the sheet (if you plan on reusing the worksheet, just change the number of bears in each bag before the next practice round). And, if you're looking for the super cute bear counters, you can find a similar set here!

Counting Beads

Provide a set of pipe cleaners and a small assortment of beads. On the top of each pipe cleaner attach a piece of tape with a number written on both sides.

Early Childhood Bead Counting Activity
Photo Source: Rockabye Butterfly

Students are then tasked with threading the correct number of beads onto each pipe cleaner.

Early Childhood Activity, Hands-On Bead Counting
Photo Source: Rockabye Butterfly
Completed Early Childhood Bead Counting Activity
Photo Source: Rockabye Butterfly

This activity is wonderful for providing fine motor skills practice! It could also be modified into a sorting activity by placing different color tape onto each pipe cleaner and having your kiddos thread beads by color rather than number.

Counting Legos

Create lego counting cards, writing a number at the bottom of each column. Then have your students stack together the correct number of legos. For younger students put the number in order (smallest to largest). For older students try placing the numbers in random order.

Early Childhood Activity, Lego Counting
Photo Source: Rockabye Butterfly

If you're looking for additional ideas for your early childhood classroom, be sure to head over to Rockabye Butterfly!