Snack Math for Preschoolers That’s Easy, Fun, and Engaging

Put a sweet twist on your math activities for preschoolers with this snack math idea! Fruit snacks are a main food group for children of all ages at this point. So, I know this fruit snack counting activity is going to be a huge hit in any preschool classroom!

Be sure to grab your free printable at the bottom of the post!

Related: Hands-On Learning with Number Rocks

Now that we’re into August, I’m back into back-to-school planning mode, both as a parent and as a teacher.

On the one hand, I’m getting our family’s routine back on school time and making sure my son’s things are organized. On the other hand, I’m planning and prepping for a new group of preschoolers.

I love that a trip to Sam’s Club let me conquer everything at the same time – getting snacks ready for Engineer, collecting Box Tops for his school, and creating some simple snack math for preschoolers.

Snack math for preschoolers is sponsored by General Mills®. All opinions and comments are, as always, mine.

Easy Snack Math for Preschoolers

Have you ever sat and watched your students during snack time? Yes, there’s lots of talking and some messiness while they nibble on their snacks. But there’s also something else I have noticed over and over again throughout the years.

Kids like to play with their snacks.

In fact, I’ve noticed that my students often count and sort their snacks during snack time. Talk about lots of fine motor and early math learning! With a dash of sensory exploration thrown in.

So why not help them make the connection between the counting they’re already doing and numbers?

Related: Simple Outdoor Number Activities

These easy number-quantity cards allow the kids to count out their snacks.

This helps them with one-to-one correspondence, a very important early math skill.

How to Prep the Snack Math Cards

Print out the snack math pages (you can grab them at the end of this post).  Consider making multiple copies, depending on how many children are in your class.

Cut the pages into individual cards. Laminate the snack math cards to ensure they last longer (and so they’re easier to clean up after snack time). Of course, you can also leave the pages the way they are. If so, I still suggest laminating them or placing them in a dry erase pocket.

Directions for Using the Snack Math Cards

I suggest simply placing some of the cards in the middle of the table during snack time. Some children might be intrigued right away, while others might not be interested at all. Either way, that’s okay.

If asked, explain that these are special cards the kids get to use during snack time. Each card has a number at the top and corresponding circles. The children can place one piece of snack over each circle. Then encourage the kids to go back and count all of the snacks on their card, touching the snack as they count.

Of course, you’re not going to want to use these snack math cards every single snack time. Certain snacks lend themselves to this math activity (dry cereal, gummy snacks, etc.), while other snacks just aren’t suitable.

Moving Beyond Snack Time Math

Yes, these simple number cards were originally meant for use with snack time. But that doesn’t mean you can only use them with snacks!

These cards are perfect with all sorts of other materials. Here are a few to consider (I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post):

• Mini erasers
• Glass gems
• Unifix Cubes

If you don’t use a dry erase pocket or laminate the cards, children could also affix stickers to the cards or use dot paint with them.

Remember, you can find a free copy of snack math, numbers 1 to 10, at the bottom of this post!

A Shopping Trip with Box Tops for Education

Heading into Sam’s Club, my son and I knew we wanted to grab some Cheerios™, Cinnamon Toast Crunch™, and Mott’s™ Fruit Snacks.

I loved that each of these items came with extra Box Tops for Education that we could use towards my son’s school.

I wasn’t the best about sending in Box Tops last year, but I plan to be this year. So I figure I’m off to a great start!

Related: Slime Monster Counting

If you’re not sure what Box Tops are, here’s a quick run-down:

• Clip off the box tops (they’re found on hundreds of different items).
• Send the box tops in to your child’s school (over 80,000 K-8 schools participate).
• Your child’s school receives ten cents per box top.

Related: Starry Night Painted Toast Pajama Day Activity

Having worked in public schools before teaching preschool, I know every little bit helps!

Teachers often use their own money to purchase items for their students and classrooms, and this is one small way I can help out.

Even better, when I grab items from Sam’s Club, there are more box tops to share with my son’s school! In fact, last year Sam’s Club members earned over a million dollars for their local schools! How awesome is that?

Would your students enjoy the snack math for preschoolers? Be sure to pop over and print off some free Box Tops for Education collection sheets – they’ll make it easier to gather and send those Box Tops into school!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of General Mills® . The opinions and text are all mine.

More Math Resources for Preschool

If you’re looking for some done-for-you resources for your preschool classroom, take a look around Preschool Teacher 101. We have early math resources ready for you, along with lesson plans and literacy resources. Membership gives you access to even more preschool materials.

Click on the photos below for more math ideas:

Get Your Free Printable Snack Math Cards

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