Can you believe that we are already halfway through October? With how fast October has been going, I can only imagine how quickly the Christmas season is going to hit! I have been planning classroom activities to celebrate the holidays and I wanted to share this one with you. This is a simple game called Roll, Count, and Cover, and today we are doing it Christmas Style!

Supplies Needed

Roll, Count, and Cover Christmas Game Board (download below)
Counters
Dice (one die for level 1, two dice for level 2)

Let’s Talk Counters

Anytime we count or do math with our preschoolers, we make it exciting by introducing different counting manipulatives. This really isn’t that hard to do if you are basing it off of your theme. Because we are doing a Christmas Counting activity, I found these Jingle bells and Holiday ornaments at the Dollar Store. I have found that the Dollar Store is an AMAZING resource for small holiday trinkets!

Keep your eye out for fun counters whenever you shop. I have found that small things from the dollar section or craft sections, such as tiny erasers and trinkets, make the most exciting counters. If you don’t want to spend money, then don’t worry! Fishy crackers, raisins, marshmallows, coins, legos, or honestly anything you can find around the house will work!

Game Play

This game is so simple! I love it because it focuses not only on counting, but on number recognition, too.

Level 1: Roll one die, count the number of dots on the die, and then place a counter on the corresponding number. Continue until your game board is covered.

Level 2: Roll two dice and add them together. (If children cannot recognize the patterns on the dice, I always push them together and count how many dots there are in total.) One you have found the sum, place a counter on the corresponding number. Continue playing until your game board is covered. Level 2 is a great challenge for learners who need a little extra push!

Additional play: After filling up your game board, roll the die, count the dots, and take away a counter from the game board. Continue taking away until all of the counters have been removed.

Helpful Tips: If your child cannot recognize numbers yet, simply draw a number line on a pice of paper. Every time they roll, use your finger to touch the number on the number line and count up to it. For example, if you rolled a three, point and count on the number line “one, two, three, this is what a three looks like!”

This game is always a hit in the preschool classroom. You can use it with your preschooler at home or even for your child’s classroom Christmas party!

Here’s a fun little video below:

Downloads

Now for the part you have been waiting for, the free downloads! You didn’t think I would forget, did you? Here they are. I hope your kiddo loves them as much as we do!

Free Christmas Roll, Count, and Cover Download