Christmas Tree Counting Activity with Dollar Tree Materials

 I love all the Christmas selection that Dollar Tree has to offer this year.  You can leave the materials as they are and let your children interact for loose parts play.  Or, you can make a few simple alterations to guide the play into numeracy and counting practice. 

What you need: 

• 2 packages of felt trees
• 1 package of small bottle brush trees
• 1 package of pom poms (in normal craft aisle)
• permanent marker
• masking tape
• tongs or tweezers
• scissors
• container to hold the pom poms

2 Ways to Play

Version 1: 

1. Using a permanent marker, write the numerals 1-12 on each Christmas tree.

2. Have child put the appropriate number of pom poms onto the tree. 

BONUS points if the child uses the tongs!  This improves fine motor skills!

Your child may also be interested in putting the trees in number order.

Version 2:

1. Flip the trees over, so they are blank.

2. On small pieces of masking tape, write the numerals.  Stick these on the bottom of the bottle brush trees. (I found that permanent marker did not adhere, this is why I used tape)

3. Children choose a bottle brush tree from the "forest." Then they match that number of pompoms onto their tree.  The person with the most pompoms at the end, wins!!

Want to see the video?  Go here!