Math Facts with Jingle Bells

My oldest is learning math facts this year at school.  I love to try and find fun hands on ways for him to practice during the week.  That is how the Math Facts with Jingle Bells came to be.  The kids have had the jingle bells out all year and I had seen them all over the playroom floor a few days earlier.  When it was time to study I had my son go grab the jingle bells while I set up a fun math learning activity tray for him.  All the kids could not resist coming to see what was going on with the jingle bells. After practicing, the jingle bells became a busy activity for the kids.

 

Math Facts with Jingle Bells

 

Supplies/what I used:

• jingle bells
• kleenex tube
• green and red construction paper
• tape
• scissors
• sharpies

 

 

 

How to setup a Math Facts Tray:

 

I took the kleenex tube, not box.  Have you seen these cool tubes of tissue yet?  I love that they take up less room in small spaces.  The tube could be substituted with a kleenex box. I wrapped green construction paper around the tube and then added some red fabric tape I had to decorate.  I cut up red paper into cards.  I took the cards and wrote out his addition math facts on them.  We did past and current math families he is working on.

 

 

Now we set out to play a fun game.  He would draw a card from me and figure out the answer using the jingle bells.

 

 

4 + 1= was his first card he drew.  He laid the card on the tray and counted out 5 jingle bells.  We did this until we got through all the cards.

 

Now little brother and baby brother could not wait to play too.  Little brother counted all the jingle bells and baby brother dropped them down in the kleenex tube.  This fun tube is now storage for the jingle bells.  It also doubles as a great fine motor skills activity for baby brother.  Picking up the jingle bells and dropping them in works on his little hand muscles. This would also be a great time to go over the color of the jingle bells with a younger sibling.

 

Having a 2yr, 4yr, and 6.5yr I love finding activities I can use for all of them with simple modifications.  This one worked great for all of them.

 

 

 

Now be sure to head over to see what Danielle of Mom Inspired Life has to share today in our Christmas series.

Christmas Tree Number Matching Game on Mom Inspired Life

 

Check out all this post from this series below:

Sensory

Peppermint Cloud Dough on FSPDT

Christmas Tree Sensory Bag on Mom Inspired Life

Gross Motor

Gingerbread Man Race and Count Game on Mom Inspired Life 

Snowman Ball Toss Game on FSPDT