Your little learners will love these free printable Valentine’s Day counting cards. The valentine counting cards are a fun way to practice counting and number order. Use these preschool printables in your Math centers or as a part of your homeschool curriculum in the month of February.
Targeted Skills
- number sense
- counting
- one to one correspondence
- number recognition
- numerical order
- least to greatest
- fine motor skills
Manipulatives to Count With
- pom poms
- small heart mini erasers
- candy hearts or conversation hearts
- buttons
- gems
Directions
- First, print out a set of cards onto card stock.
- Cut each page in half to cut apart the cards.
- Put one manipulative in each of the heart shapes.
- Your child can count as they put each manipulative in the heart or they can count the number of hearts after they are all covered. This is the perfect way to encourage independent counting practice.
Variations
There are many different ways you can use these printable number cards. From counting and fine motor skills to addition and subtraction, here are a variety of ways you can use the cards with kids of all ages and levels.
- For young kids, put the cards in order from 1 to 5. Challenge them to put the correct number of counters on each of the heart cards. Say the number name and point to the numeral.
- For older kids, challenge them to put the cards in order from 1 to 10 and then transfer the counters to each card.
- Add tongs, tweezers, or clothes pins to pick up and transfer pom poms to the set of valentine cards.
- If your children or students are ready to be exposed to number words, write them directly onto the counting card. You can also write them on strips of paper and they can match the correct number word to each counting card.
- Use these free printables to practice addition. Pick two cards and use them in an addition equatiton. For example, 3 hearts plus 2 hearts equals how many hearts all together? Using the cards to count, combine, and add is a fun activity to practice addition equations.
- Here’s a good idea for introducing subtraction with these cards. Start with a number card and fill each heart with a counter. Then say, “You have 7 hearts. I’m going to take 2 away. Now how many do you have? That’s right! 7 minus 2 equals 5.”
Transferring the erasers or pom poms to the cards is not only beneficial math practice, but also a great way to strengthen fine motor skills. As preschoolers pick up the counters they are using their pincer grasp which is important for holding a pencil correctly. You can also add tweezers, tongs, or clothes pins to pick up the pom poms for an extra fine motor skills challenge.
Download and Print the Heart Counting Cards
More Valentine Activities
Here are more educational activities that are a great compliment to our valentine counting cards.
Heart Letter Matching Activity
Valentine’s Day Count and Clip Cards from Fun with Mama