Butterfly numbers 1 to 10

Young children will love this cheery butterfly numbers activity, great for building number sense.

I get SO happy when, in March, I start to hear the drip drip drip of the snow and ice melting off the roof. It means we can say a big ‘see ya later’ to winter and welcome in the spring. Woop woop!

In celebration of the approaching spring, I have created this super cheery butterfly matching activity which focuses on the numbers 1 to 10.

This activity practises number recognition and counting skills and it’s also a great way to get young children thinking about how numbers can be shown in different ways.

And trust me when I say, the colourful butterflies are sure to be a hit.

So, let me show you how this activity works.

Tell me about this butterfly numbers math activity!

This activity is made up of 10 colourful butterflies. Each butterfly has a number from 1 to 10 on it.

Along with the butterflies there are 4 sets of number cards (10 cards in each set).

The different types of cards are: number names, ten frames, tally marks and objects in a scattered arrangement (in this case flowers).

To complete the activity, you have to find the correct number cards to match the number on the butterfly.

Place the four corresponding number cards onto the 4 circles on the butterfly’s wings like so:

This activity is great for building number sense. It helps young children see that numbers can be represented in different ways.

It also practises lots of important basic math skills: counting, subitizing, and number recognition to name just a few.

Once you’ve matched up all the circles to the correct butterfly, you could challenge your child to order the butterflies from smallest to biggest and then vice versa.

Related post: 5 reasons why number puzzles are great for young children

Does this activity work well as a math center?

This activity makes a great spring or summer-themed math center. (Just make sure you set aside a big space so that your students can spread out all the butterfly pictures!)

Children can work together with a partner to find the correct butterfly for each of the number cards.

If you laminate these butterfly and number cards (which I would recommend), they can be used over and over with your students each year.

Once completed, you could tape the cards to the butterflies and display on the wall in your classroom. Perfect for a spring/summer or insect/bug theme.

What exactly is included in this resource?

This resource contains 10 full page butterfly pictures. These are all my own original artwork. Each butterfly has a different design.

To go with the butterflies, there are 4 sets of number cards – ten frame cards, number name cards, tally marks cards and cards with flowers (in a random, scattered pattern).

Want to grab your own number butterflies?

You can find these butterflies in our Teachers Pay Teachers store or in the Math, Kids and Chaos online store (US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand only).

Thanks for checking out these butterfly numbers activities on my blog today. Have a great day!

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