In honor of Presidents’ Day, Mary Poppins and I have been teaching a mini-unit about America. We’ve incorporated a variety of activities for group time and center time, and the kiddos seem to be enjoying themselves! For the math center, I made a simple coin sorting mat for the children. I just did a basic grid using Word, then added pictures from Word’s clip art. Since my printer was rebelling, Mary Poppins printed four copies and laminated them. That way, we can easily use them again in the future.
Mary Poppins and I decided to stick with sorting just pennies and quarters for this activity. One reason was because Lincoln and Washington are on these coins, and it’s their birthdays we celebrate with Presidents’ Day. Additionally, pennies and quarters are distinctly different in both color and size, making the task a good introduction to coins for preschool children.
Some of the children really enjoyed this basic sorting activity. I was especially entertained when one of the kids set about to sort every single coin at the math center! Sorting the coins helped the children relate to the world around them, helped them use basic math skills, let them practice visual discrimination, and linked back to America history and an important holiday.
Done-for-You Preschool Resources
Planning meaningful lessons for students week after week while balancing other teaching responsibilities and a personal life can be a daunting task. That’s where Preschool Teacher 101 comes in to save you time!
Use the coin sorting activity with a pirate theme! Let the kids sort out the coins as their “buried treasure!” You could even hide the coins somewhere in the classroom for them to find. Check out Preschool Teacher 101’s pirate lesson plans by clicking on the image below!
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