Hands-On Math with Painted Number Rocks

My preschoolers love to play with rocks! I made these number rocks over a year ago, and they’re still a hit with the children. They’re perfect for a variety of hands-on math activities like, such as one-to-one correspondence.

$Hands-on math activities using number rocks$

This post was originally written for B-Inspired Mama.

Materials
Rocks (I used river rocks from our stash)
Acrylic paints
Acrylic sealer

$Colorful number rocks are great for hands-on math!$

Prep
I started off by painting ten of the river rocks with white paint. Once the white had dried, I added different quantities of dots to each rock. Each rock held its own amount of dots, from zero up to nine.

As the quantity rocks were drying, I worked on the numeral rocks. These I left black, as a contrast to the white stones. I used different colors to paint numbers on each rock, again from zero to nine.

Once all of the rocks were dry, I went back and sealed all of them. This has helped keep the paint from chipping too much as kids handle them.

$Number rocks for hands-on math learning$

how to use number rocks for hands-on math activities

There are numerous ways to use these number rocks in preschool. Below are just a few examples:

Have children order the numeral rocks from zero to nine. They can do the same with the quantity rocks, too.
The kiddos can match each numeral to the correct quantity rock. So the rock with the number 9 on it would get matched to the rock with nine dots on it.
Let the children use the numeral rocks to make larger numbers. For example, kids can put 1 and 5 together to create 15 (or 51).
The children can match up other objects to the numeral and quantity rocks, too. So they can match the number 7 rock to the rock with 7 dots, then add 7 unifix cubes beside the rocks.
Pair them with rainbow shape rocks for even more math exploration

$Use number rocks for multiple hands-on math activities in preschool$

How would you use these number rocks with your children/students? I’d love to hear more ideas for hands-on math in the comments below!

A Full Week of Playful Rock Theme Ideas

Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. Each set includes over 30 playful learning activities related to the theme, and we’ve provided different versions for home preschool families and classroom teachers so all activities are geared directly toward your needs.