Counting Bears Math Game and Activities
Your kids will love this fun counting bears math game! There are several ways to play and a variety of math skills you can develop with this free printable math game.
If you use counting bears to teach your kids, then you will love this post! Not only am I going to share a fun counting bears math game, but I also have a bunch of other awesome activities that use counting bears for you to check out at the bottom of this post.
There are so many great ways to use counting bears to teach a variety of skills to young children. Don’t forget to check them all out below!
Counting Bears Math Game
Learning math concepts is so much more fun when you turn it into a game. That’s why I love developing math games for my kids.
This counting bears math game is one of those games that your kids will have a blast playing and they probably won’t even know they are learning so much too.
The free printables I made make it super easy to do with your kids. It requires very little prep on your part. Which is super important, I know.
My kids thoroughly enjoyed playing this game! Well, minus a few squabbles over who was winning or losing, but it presented a much-needed opportunity for them to work on being gracious whether they win or lose.
If you are looking to avoid the competitive nature of the game, that’s fine too. There are ways to play without having a winner or a loser.
Ways to Play this Counting Bears Math Game
- Cut out the inserts and put them in a photo block like this one. Roll the block and put a counting bear on a corresponding bear on the printable game board. The first person to get 5 bears in a row gets a point. The person with the most points, wins!
- Roll a numbered dice and put that many bears on the game board. Make it a race and the first person to cover every bear on the game board, wins.
- Avoid the game aspect, and just roll the dice (numbered or block with inserts) and cover bears until the whole game board is filled.
- Roll two numbered dice, add the numbers together and cover that many bears. Make it a game and the first person to fill the game board, wins. Or skip the game and just fill the game board as quickly as you can!
- Give each player a certain color bear to use for the game. Each player takes turns rolling the dice and adding that many bears to the game board. Once the board is full, count to see which player has the most bears on the board. That person wins!
Setting Up the Game
Supplies Needed:
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- Counting Bears Math Game printables (link to download at the bottom of the post)
- Counting Bears
- Photo blocks (optional)
Setting Up the Game:
- Print out the game board you would like to use. Make sure you print a copy for each student you will have playing at once.
- Make the dice by cutting the large squares apart and inserting in a photo block. Or make the paper dice by cutting and taping together.
- You can also just skip making the dice and use a numbered die for those versions of the game.
If you don’t have photo blocks, I also made a printable block you can print, cut and tape to make a dice.
I have included several different game boards that will match up with many of the popular sets of counting bears out there. My set doesn’t have an orange bear, so I have a board that doesn’t have an orange bear on it. I have a board with only red, blue, yellow and green, a board with all six rainbow colors and a few other choices as well.
*Tip: Because the board I used only had 5 different colors, one side of our dice was blank. If the kids landed on the blank side, they were able to cover a counting bear of any color they wanted.
Using the Counting Bears Math Game
This is perfect for math centers or for teaching your kids at home. Since I homeschool, it is a great way to bring the kids together and do something fun to start our math lessons.
This is definitely going into our regular rotation! It’s a fun way to add a bit of hands-on math practice to our day.
I bet you could come up with even more ways to play this counting bears math game. Feel free to share your ideas in the comments!
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:
Counting Bears Graphing // Sara J Creations
Counting Bears Alphabet Match // Modern Preschool
Counting Bears Roll and Cover Math Game // Mom Inspired Life
Counting Bears Fine Motor Alphabet Mats // Letters of Literacy
Counting Bear Pattern Cards // The STEM Laboratory
Counting Bear Counting Cards // The Kindergarten Connection
Counting Bear Clip Cards // Playdough to Plato
Write and Wipe Subtraction Cards // Pages of Grace
Multi-Sensory Task Cards // My Creative Inclusion
Using Counting Bears During Story Time // Homebound but Hopeful
Counting Bear Activities // Fairy Poppins
Write and Wipe Addition with Counting Bears // Liz’s Early Learning Spot
Counting Bears Sorting by Size // Mrs. Jones’ Creation Station
Counting Bear Word Problem Challenge Cards // Schooling a Monkey