Finger painting ladybug activity – counting fun for your toddler or preschooler
Is your toddler or preschooler starting to show an interest in numbers and counting?
Are you looking for a fun, hands-on activity to help them hone those early math skills?
Then this post is for you!
This finger painting ladybug activity helps young children to practise counting to 5.
Little ones love this activity as they have the chance to get their hands in the paint. But, as you clear up all the painty fingerprints from the walls, you can rest assured that they have also practised some important basic math skills in the process.
So, let’s take a look.
Related post: Free preschool number puzzles for 1 to 10
Tell me about this preschool counting to 5 activity!
To get started with this activity, first download the free ladybug counting to 5 printable which you can find at the end of this post.
You can print this onto white paper and then colour each ladybug in with a red crayon. Or, you can simply print onto red paper and you’re ready to begin.
The printable has 5 ladybugs and each one has a number next to it in a grey circle.
Together with your toddler, look at the number by each ladybug and say its name. Then, help them to add the correct number of fingerpainted dots to the ladybug’s wings. Make sure to count the dots out loud with your toddler as you add them.
Once dried, you can recap the numbers and count the dots on each ladybug to make sure there are the right number.
Related post: Butterfly numbers for 1 to 10
What math skills will my toddler be practising?
This activity focuses on numbers to 5 and is great for developing the skill of one-to-one correspondence.
What is one-to-one correspondence?
One-to-one correspondence is the skill of being able to count a number of objects by assigning one number, in sequence, to each object as you point to it.
This is tricky for very young children.
Not only must a young child be able to say their numbers in order, but they must also be able to point to each object at the same speed. Plus they must only count each object once.
A young child who has yet to master this skill may point to 4 objects but have counted up to 6. Or they may keep going once all objects have been counted and end up counting some objects twice.
This is a skill that young children master when they are developmentally ready. To help them along the way, give your child lots of opportunities to practise their counting skills with a range of different activities.
Related post: 8 simple ways to include some math in your preschooler’s day
Want to have a go at this ladybug counting to 5 activity?
If you want to have a go at this finger painting activity with your toddler or preschooler, you can download your own version of the printable here:
Thanks for reading today’s post. Hope your toddler enjoys this ladybug counting activity!
If you liked this post, why not pin it? Thanks for your help!
