I developed these roll and color math games after noticing my students were losing the ability to subitize in First Grade.. I developed preschool/pre-K curriculum for the daycare I ran at home. I am formally trained as an early childhood educator and paraprofessional. I noticed that most preschool curriculum focused on reading, but not much on math. While I was focused on hands on math activities, I needed a worksheet that would be fun but introduce written math. This game builds memory for math skills.
The fun thing about this game is we use the color rolled for whatever place on the unicorn we want to. So, even the unicorn body can be three or four colors!
Instructions:
How to play this Preschool Math Game:
1. Pass out a free printable Unicorn Math Game worksheet to each student.
2. Make sure each student has: The math game page, and coloring tools.
3. To see who takes the first turn, each student rolls the die. The player with the highest number goes first.
4. Turns are taken in a clockwise direction.
5. When a player rolls the die, they color whatever section of the number matching the number that was rolled on the die.
6. If the number has been rolled already, the student passes their turn.
*There is no winner really. The goal is to complete the coloring of the picture.
Note: We use a big foam dice from the dollar store. The students don’t have to worry about dropping the die, throwing it too hard, or losing it. The other benefit of using a foam die is that different numbers can be written on. For example, either the numeral 2, or two dots can be written on the die.
Preschool Printable Educator Benefits
Tried, Tested, Observed- Skill Building-YEP
Kids love it. It’s active, It’s fun, It’s action packed.- YEP
NO Prep- YEP
The Unicorn can be applied towards a spring or fairytale theme.
Benefits of the Unicorn Roll and Color Math Game
This game focuses on subitizing. Subitizing means that one knows the number of a group of objects without actually having to count.
This game builds skills of visual discrimination.
This game builds working memory because playing the game involves three steps. Children have to remember what the number of the dice is, then find the matching amount on the page, then color that amount.
This game builds cooperation. Children can help each other find the number on the page and they enjoy playing together.
This game can be played in small groups.
This game is perfect for differentiated learning.
This game helps preschoolers learn their colors.
Last but not least, children build fine motor skills while playing this game!
Why is differentiated learning important?
“Differentiated instruction addresses the needs of students of differing abilities and learning styles in the same class”.
Anyone who has been around a group of children of the same age, probably notices kids naturally learn differently. Some children may be visual, so they have a natural bent to learning colors and shapes. Some children are hands on learners so they may fix something easily then another child would.
I had a group of children ranging from 4 to 8 years old, many days during school vacations and summers. While we spent a lot of time outdoors, we needed something active to do together inside as well.
The 1st and 2nd graders enjoyed helping the younger children. The preschoolers enjoyed helping each other. There would be discussion about colors, and one child would say the name of the color in discussion-which helped the younger preschooler learn her colors.
Save this March Math Game Activity for a time when you need a quick activity to plug in between curriculum due to inclement weather, or unforeseen schedule changes during the day.