Place value penguins (math craft and more!)
A fun, hands-on introduction to tens and ones with these jolly place value penguins!
It’s safe to say that penguins are very popular in our house.
According to my children, they are the most excellent creature on the planet and because of this, we look out for penguin-themed anything and everything as we go about our day-to-day lives.
Given how much we love penguins, it seemed crazy that I had yet to create any penguin-related math resources.
And so, today we present to you: place value penguins.
As the name would suggest, this math resource is penguin-themed, and will help your child practise place value skills. It’s comprised of three different activities, all of which are hands-on and fun!
Ready for a sneak peek? Then read on.
Tell me about these place value penguins
This resource consists of three place value activities.
They are all designed to work on the the concept of place value, and in particular, breaking numbers down into their tens and ones.
This resource was designed particularly with grade 1 children in mind, but it would be a great fit for any child just beginning with the topic of place value and tens and ones.
Let me talk you through the three different activities.
Activity 1 – Penguin match
This first activity is a matching activity where you have match penguins to their hats.
On each penguin’s tummy there is a number shown in the form of base ten blocks.
Work out what number is being shown, and then find the hat that shows the corresponding numerals.
There are eight penguins and eight hats to match.
Activity 2 – Build-a-Number
In this second activity, children will get lots of practice building numbers out of base ten blocks.
Included in the download is a large penguin picture and a selection of hats showing different numbers (16, 23, 35, 42, 50, 61, 77, 84 and 99).
To prep this activity, first print everything out and then cut out the penguin and all of the hats.
Next, choose one of the hats for your penguin to wear, and then build the number shown on the hat out of base ten blocks, like so:
If you don’t have base ten blocks, don’t worry as there are printable base ten block pictures included in the pack that you can use.
Once you’ve built your number, grab a new hat for your penguins to wear and build a new number.
If you’re a teacher using this resource in the classroom, this activity makes a great hands-on math center or small group activity.
Activity 3 – Penguin math craft
And last of all, this third activity is a place value math craft (or craftivity) where your child can make their own place value penguin.
To make your penguin, first print off the two pages and colour the different components (the penguin body, hat, feet and base ten block pictures):
Then cut out all the different parts.
Next, comes the math!
Choose a 2-digit number and write this in the box on the penguin’s hat.
On the penguin’s feet, write how many tens and ones are in the number. Glue the hat and feet onto the penguin
Finally, make your number with base ten blocks and glue these onto the penguin’s tummy.
The topic of place value doesn’t generally tend to lend itself to great wall displays, but these finished penguins look so fun on the wall.
If you have a class of children all making this place value craft, you can display all of the finished penguins around the border of your math bulletin board.
And there we have it. One resource, three different activities. All designed to help children become more confident with 2-digit numbers and tens and ones.
Where can I purchase this place value penguin math resource?
If you want to try these place value activities and math craft with your child or students, you can purchase them over in the Math, Kids and Chaos online store (US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) or over in my Teachers pay Teachers store here.
Thanks for visiting the blog today and stopping by to read about the Place Value Penguins! Have a great day.
Want to save this post for later? Why not pin it!
