If you’re like me, you probably love to make math fun, engaging and exciting for your students. Oh, and you also probably love finding teaching ideas in the aisles at Target! 😉 Today I have a fun and easy way to help your students enhance their number sense skills. Target currently has wooden number clothespins in their Dollar Spot. I grabbed them and thought they’d be perfect for a missing number activity, which led to me whipping up these Missing Number Clip Cards! These cards are free to download and easy to implement in the classroom for math centers and more!
What are Missing Number Clip Cards?
Missing number clip cards are a fun way to teach young learners the skills of counting, number sequencing, and developing their number sense. The activity uses numbered clothespins that the students will use to fill out the missing number or numbers on each card. It’s an easy to prep activity that you can get lots of use from throughout the school year.
What skills do Missing Number Clip Cards work on?
By using these cards, students can enhance the following essential math skills:
a. Number Recognition: Identifying numbers is a fundamental skill for kindergarteners. Clip cards provide a visual representation of numbers, allowing children to practice recognizing and differentiating between numerals.
b. Counting Skills: Missing number clip cards enable students to practice counting sequentially. By identifying the missing number, children develop their ability to progress through a numerical sequence.
c. Problem-Solving: The act of identifying the missing number requires critical thinking and problem-solving skills. It encourages children to analyze patterns, engage in logical reasoning, and make informed decisions based on the given information.
d. Fine Motor Work: Using clothespins is an excellent fine motor activity. As your students use clothespins, they engage their hand muscles, improving dexterity, coordination, and precision. The pincer grasp required to open and close a clothespin helps strengthen the muscles in their fingers. Better finger strength benefits everyday activities such as holding a pencil or using scissors. This hands-on activity also promotes bilateral coordination, as students use both hands simultaneously to hold the card and clip with the clothespins.
What materials are needed?
You’ll only need a few inexpensive materials to put together this activity!
- Numbered clothespins (from Target or make your own!)
- Cardstock
- A pencil box for storage
How to prepare this activity
These Missing Number Clip Cards are very easy to prepare! You’ll just need to print the pages on cardstock, then cut out and laminate. I suggest printing on cardstock so the cards last longer. I love using Astrobrights cardstock for the variety of color options!
How to use these Missing Number Clip Cards
Since these clip cards store easily in a pencil box, they are extremely versatile for multiple classroom uses. Here are a few ideas:
- Math centers: Just pick the clip cards you want students to use, add the clothespins, and place them at a math center.
- Morning tubs: If you use morning tubs in your classroom, these clip cards are an easy and fun addition!
- Small group work: You can make multiple sets of this activity and use it with a small group.
Download this free math activity here!
If you’re interested in trying out this activity, you can download the clip cards for free! Just fill out the form below and they’ll be sent to your inbox.
Have fun with this free missing number activity!
Missing number clip cards provide an interactive and engaging way for kindergarteners to practice number recognition and identifying missing numbers in a sequence. Be sure to grab these clothespins in the Target dollar section, or simply make your own by writing numbers 1-9 on clothespins. Incorporating these missing number clip cards into your teaching repertoire is a hands-on way to make math exciting for kindergarteners!