DIY Pumpkin Patch Maths Game for Preschoolers
We’ve had fun reading the Five Little Pumpkins by Dan Yaccarino this week. And wanted to create a hands-on pumpkin activity focusing more on number recognition. This book is great for working on counting backwards the start of working on subtraction as well as having fun language. We’ve had fun with this book and rhyme before creating our own book combining number and literacy but this time, we wanted to get more hands-on and so we created our own pumpkin patch maths game.
Materials needed for your own DIY Pumpkin Patch Number Game
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Shoe box lid or something similar
Creating your own DIY Maths Game for Halloween
- Draw around your box lid onto your piece of cardstock making sure that it is centred and there is an edge all the way around.
- Cut out 10 slots that will be where your pumpkins will be planted within the rectangle you have just drawn.
- Cut from the corner of the cardstock to corner of the box lid outline.
- Fold along your lines.
- Glue the corners together to form a box lid this will form the ground of your pumpkin patch. A top tip is to use a paper clip to keep the corners together as the glue dries.
- Take 5 orange craft sticks and cut each in half.
- Onto the top peel the back off of the sticks half way and attach the craft stick to the back of the pumpkin then put back the sticker back.
- On the bottom of each craft stick write the numbers in marker pen from 1 to 10.
- Create some vines for your pumpkin patch by wrapping the green pipe cleaner/chenille stick around a pen or pencil.
Love this counting activity why not combine it with our FREE Printable Pumpkin Count and Clip Cards!
Setting up the Pumpkin themed number recognition activity
Randomly push the pumpkins into the slots you have created in the cardstock and add in some vines.
Looking for more maths activities to share this Halloween with your preschoolers? Check out these Halloween Maths Activities for Preschool for more ideas.
Playing with the DIY Pumpkin Number Game for Preschoolers
We used to the pumpkin patch to work on number recognition but check out the ideas for some extension activities that you could use the pumpkin patch for.
Ask your child to pick a pumpkin from the patch. As they pull it out get them to read the number on the bottom of the stick – if this is the first time with number recognition then help with by saying the number as they pull it out.
Place it to the side and then pull out another number. Read the number out and then help them to order the number with the stick. We did this by counting from 1 to 10 emphasising the number by saying it louder and pointing to the pumpkin that we had already picked.
Repeat until all of the pumpkins have been picked. Then replant them into the pumpkin patch randomly and repeat.
Extension activities for the Number Themed Pumpkin Patch Game
As well as number recognition here are a few more ideas that you could use the pumpkin patch for.
- One more and one less. Pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch and then ask your child for the number one more or one less than the number they have.
- Counting on. Pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch and then another count on the second pumpkin’s number to find the total.
- Addition. Similar to above but working on straight addition – also can be used for subtraction.
- Number bonds to 10. Pick a pumpkin and read the number work out the number that will be needed to make 10 using number bond facts.
More Pumpkin Learning Activities and Crafts
‘Tis the season for pumpkins so check out these pumpkin activities and crafts from our archives to use with this activity as well.
- Pumpkin Number Lines
- Top tips on growing your own pumpkins from this year’s autumn pumpkins
- Pumpkin Numeracy and Literacy with stickers
- Spin Art Pumpkins
Watch our EASY Halloween Craft for KIDS Video
Check out this simple Halloween Craft for Toddlers in the video below that you can make together.
More Maths Based Pumpkin Activities for Preschoolers
Pumpkin Shape Memory Game and Snap
Free Printable Pumpkin Shape Puzzles from School time Snippets
Pumpkin Playdough Counting Mats
Pumpkin Counting Printable from The Moments at Home
Pumpkin Math: How Many Segments? from Teach Beside Me
