Counting Number Mats: Ocean Seashells 1-20

Ocean Seashell Number Counting Mats 1-20 help preschool and kindergarten kids count to 20, build numbers on ten-frames and form numbers 1-20 with play dough in a hands-on printable math activity.

Head to the beach! A smiling girl peeks over the ten-frame with an armful of seashells. Kids add shells one at a time until the ten-frames match the number.

Every mat shows a number from 1 to 20, the number word and a girl holding seashells. Numbers 1-10 use a single ten-frame and numbers 11-20 use a double ten-frame.

Half of the mats have empty ten-frames to fill. The other half show them already filled with seashells so kids can count the model and check their work. A double ten-frame is two ten-frames together. Kids fill the first one to make ten, then add the extra ones in the second. That way they can actually see that 14 is one ten and four more.

The large outlined numbers are made for play dough so kids build fine motor strength while they practice forming numbers 1-20. The traceable number at the bottom of each mat gives them a place to practice writing it too.

Print the color set for centers or the black and white set to save ink. Laminate the mats or slide them into dry-erase pockets and they’re ready for counters, play dough and dry-erase markers again and again.

How to Use Ocean Seashell Number Counting Mats 1-20

1. Read the number word at the top of the mat and say the number together.
2. Build the large number with play dough or trace it with a dry-erase marker, then draw or place that many objects in the blank box.
3. Fill the ten-frame with manipulatives, counting each one as you go, then trace the number at the bottom of the mat.

Small Group: Give each child a mat. Everyone builds their number, fills the ten-frame and shares how many with the group. Pass the mats to the left and play again.

Independent Practice: Set the mats in a math center or binder with play dough and a cup of counters. Kids work through the numbers in order or pick any mat to build, count and trace.

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Easy Ways to Differentiate These Number Mats

Some kids in your group are still learning to count to 10, some can count a set but don’t connect it to the numeral yet and some are ready to see each teen number as ten and some more. The mats are the same for everyone. What changes is which mats you put out and how kids build each number.

For Children Who Need More Support:

• Start with mats 1 to 5 and add more as counting gets steady. A shorter set lets kids practice counting without losing track.
• Use the filled ten-frame mats and have kids place a counter right on top of each of the seashells. Covering one picture at a time builds one-to-one correspondence.
• Touch and count each counter out loud together. Matching one number word to one touch is the heart of counting.
• Roll play dough snakes ahead of time so kids can lay them on the big number. Pre-rolled snakes let kids focus on the shape of the number instead of the rolling.

For On-Level Practice:

• Use the empty ten-frame mats and have kids build each number, then check their work against the matching filled mat. Checking their own work builds independence.
• Have kids say the number and read the number word after they count. Ending with the number is how kids learn that the last number counted tells how many.
• Shape the number with play dough, then fill the ten-frame to match. Building the numeral and the amount on the same mat connects the symbol to the quantity.
• Ask how many are in the full ten-frame and how many more are in the second one. Saying “ten and four more” for 14 is how kids learn what a teen number means.

For an Extra Challenge:

• Mix up the mats and have kids put them in order. Ordering numbers shows kids understand which number comes next.
• Show a filled ten-frame for a few seconds, cover it and have kids tell how many they saw. Recognizing amounts without counting one by one is called subitizing, and it makes adding much faster.
• Say a number and have kids find the matching mat and build it. Going from the spoken number to the numeral and the amount covers every part of number sense.
• Have kids tell how many tens and how many ones each number has, like “one ten and six ones” for 16. This is the beginning of place value.

For Speech, OT, ELL or Special Education Support:

• Fine motor: use tongs or tweezers to place counters. Squeezing tongs builds the hand strength kids need to hold a pencil.
• OT: rolling play dough snakes and pressing them onto the number works the small muscles in the hands. For kids who need more sensory input, use a firmer dough.
• ELL: count in English and invite kids to count in their home language too. Number sense carries across languages, so kids can show what they know while they learn the English words.
• Visual attention: cover the parts of the mat you aren’t using with a sheet of paper. One part at a time keeps a busy mat from feeling overwhelming.

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Ocean Seashell Number Counting Mats 1-20 Are Perfect For:

• Kindergarten
• Preschool and pre-K
• ELL and multilingual learners
• Ocean, beach and summer themes
• Math centers
• Morning tubs
• Small-group instruction
• Intervention
• Special education
• Speech, OT and early intervention sessions
• Homeschool preschool and kindergarten
• Substitute plans

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