Counting from 1-10 is an important skill for my pre-k students.  I am currently trying to give my pre-k students lots of counting opportunities so that they become confident with their counting.  These Counting Pumpkin mats are a fun way to practice counting from 1-10.  They are hands on and provide students the chance to trace the number.  They are perfect for fall.

To prepare this activity I first printed the download, found below, on white cardstock.  Also included in the download is a black and white version of the mats that could be printed on orange cardstock for a pop of color.  

Then I used my paper trimmer to cut down the middle of the cardstock.  There is a Counting Pumpkins cover for the mats if you wanted to hole punch them and put them on a ring.  You can also just keep the cards separate.  

I ran the mats through my laminator because we would be tracing the numbers on the mats.  

I grabbed some pumpkin mini erasers that I found in the Target Dollar Spot and we were ready for some Counting Pumpkins fun!  



To begin, students first picked a pumpkin mat.  They could look at the number to see how many to count out.  If students are still working on number recognition, the pumpkin ten frame is provided on each card so that students can have a visual representation of how many to count out.  

In the example below, the student picked a mat with the number 1 and a ten frame showing one pumpkin.  

The student counted out 1 pumpkin eraser on the mat.  Then they used their dry erase marker to trace the number 1.

In the example below, the student picked a mat with the number 4.  The student checked to make sure it was 4, by using one-to-one counting skills to count the pumpkins on the ten frame - 1, 2, 3, 4.

Then the student counted out four pumpkins on the mat.

Students continued to pick a mat, count out that many pumpkin erasers, and trace the number until all mats had been completed.

If you do not have pumpkin mini erasers, playdough is also another fun, hands-on way to use these mats.  We just grabbed some orange playdough and rolled them into balls for pumpkins.

Ready for some Counting Pumpkins fun?!  Just click the image below to grab your FREE download!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1barH4IjddXyAnF-pCn4CkHeugvJBfV2z/view?usp=sharing
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We have been busy talking about the roles of family members in pre-k!  This "Family" poem was perfect for my students because of the repetitive text and picture clues.  We added it to our reading folders at the end of the week.  
Included in your free download, found below, is a "Family" little book and one page poem.  We used the poem for a shared reading experience.  If you aren't familiar with shared reading, the students all have a copy of the same text and the teacher also has a copy.  The teacher can model reading strategies within the shared reading and students also have the opportunity to mark up on their copy of the text.  
We worked to use highlighters to find the word "a" throughout the poem.  Then I had my students use their highlighter as a pointer to read the poem while pointing to the words.  
  
I was really proud of them for working to find the word "a" in the poem.  They did a great job!
This would also be something you could have out at a dramatic play center for your students to read.  Students can read the poem while pretending to be different family members at the center.
Ready to grab your FREE Family Book and Poem download?!  Just click the image below to grab your freebie!
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