Home > Preschool Ideas > Make your own Giant Number Line with Toddlers and Preschoolers

Make your own Giant Number Line with Toddlers and Preschoolers

Number recognition, number order and sequence are all important parts of learning about numbers in the early years. We teach our kids to say the numbers out loud through songs and rhymes like our fun selection of counting rhymes but this has no meaning until we put it into context. Relating the numbers said and sung to the physical number of objects as well as the symbol and words that represent them. In this simple activity, you and your toddler and preschooler can find the numbers, match them to the words that you say and then order then in sequence. So get ready to have some fun making Giant Number Lines.

Simple number activity for toddlers and preschoolers to work on Number Recognition and Ordering.

For our second week of the Virtual Book Club for Kids this year we are focusing on numbers as our theme. Featuring the fun counting book Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh this is a fun simple activity to get active and learn at the same time.

Materials Needed to Create your Own Number Line

We have included links to the products and resources we recommend for this activity. If you purchase via these links we may earn a small commission.

Large Foam Numbers – ours are from a foam play mat.

Alternative – if you don’t have large foam numbers then you could make these out of cardstock.

Using foam play mat numbers to create simple hands-on active math activities for toddlers and preschoolers to work on number sense in the early years

Setting up and Playing with the Giant Number Line

Gross motor number game for toddlers and preschoolers to aid number recognition and ordering of numbers 1 - 9 on a number line

Removing all of the numbers from the puzzle pieces I laid them out randomly on the grass – I love this number set as the 6 and the 9 are very distinct which makes it easier for young children to recognise them and put them in order.

Simple number activity for toddlers and preschoolers to get moving and learn at the same time.

It was interesting to see – each of his numbers had to touch the previous number and were very neatly lined up – that was until T came along and as you can see from the title picture rearranged and removed most of them from the line.

Number order and recognition activity for toddlers and preschooler working on early math skills and number sense.

We put the numbers into order forward and backwards.

DIY number line gross motor activity for toddlers and preschoolers. Have fun with numbers in the early years and work on number sense, order and recognition

Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh

Each week as part of the Virtual Book Club for Kids we feature a fun picture book ideal to read together with your toddlers and preschoolers. This week’s featured book is Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh.

Mouse Count features a snake that is very greedy – it counts the mice into its jar and then a clever mouse tricks the snake and all of the mice count themselves out of the jar again. As you read along the numbers are in word format and although with toddlers and preschoolers you wouldn’t expect them to read the words it’s good to follow along with your finger so that they start to recognise that numbers also come in word form as well as in number symbol form.

For our full week of Number Activities for Preschoolers head over to the Virtual Book Club for Kids Site and get this week’s 5-day activity plan.

More Counting Books for Toddlers and Preschoolers

When we do themed week’s for the Virtual Book Club for Kids I try and sort out a book basket to go with the theme for the week.

In that basket, I place between 4 and 6 books including the featured book that I find from our bookshelf and the library on the theme. Here are our suggestions for extra books or alternative books to Mouse Count for this week.

Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews

10 Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle

Ten Little Monkeys: Jumping on the Bed

Ten Playful Penguins by Emily Ford

Simple fun rhyming and silly number and counting books to share with your toddlers and preschoolers.

We have plenty more choices if you can’t find the books above in our article on favourite Counting and Number books for babies, toddlers and preschoolers.

More Number Line Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Pin This Simple Gross Motor Number Recognition and Line Activity to do Later

Simple number activity for toddlers and preschoolers to work on Number Recognition and Ordering.

Share this Number Sense Activity for Toddlers and Preschoolers with others on Facebook

Simple number activity for toddlers and preschoolers to work on Number Recognition and Ordering.
Author
Cerys Parker

Cerys is a marine biologist, environmental educator, teacher, mum, and home educator from the UK. She loves getting creative, whether it is with simple and easy crafts and ideas, activities to make learning fun, or delicious recipes that you and your kids can cook together you'll find them all shared here on Rainy Day Mum.

6 Comments

  1. We’ve just ordered both mat sets as part of our voucher exchange order. Looks like a fun game for the three of you

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