Race to the North Pole: Reindeer Counting Activities for Preschoolers

This is Day 3 of the 12 Days of Christmas Math Games and Activities for Homeschoolers! You can check out the other posts in the series to find easy, hands-on math lesson ideas for your homeschool this month! Today I’m excited to be sharing some fun reindeer counting activities for preschoolers, including the Race to the North Pole! This game has 2 versions: a life-sized game that’s perfect for active preschoolers, and a hands-on version to play at a table or desk. This post also includes a free download so you can use these reindeer counting activities for preschoolers in your homeschool!

This activity was designed for kids in preschool or kindergarten, who are practicing their counting. It can be adapted for kids from preschool through 2nd grade using the suggestions included in this plan!

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This plan includes 2 options: a gross motor activity where you create a life-sized game board, and a smaller tabletop version where kids can practice the same skills.

What You Need for the Reindeer Counting Activities for Preschoolers:

For the Life sized game board option:

• This Race to the North Pole free printable (get it below!)

• Crayons, scissors, and tape
• A pad of sticky notes
• Dice, one for each player (these large dry erase dice are a lot of fun with this game!)

For the Tabletop option:

• This Race to the North Pole free printable (get it above!)
• Scissors
• A die

For the Life-Sized Game Board Option:

Prepare:

• Gather your supplies.
• Write the numbers 1-20 on sticky notes, one number per sticky note. Stick the sticky notes on the floor in order to make a simple game board.
• Print the Christmas headbands on thick cardstock (Optional). Kids can color and cut out these characters to wear while playing the game! Cut a 2-inch wide strip of cardstock long enough to fit around your child’s head and tape in a circle. Tape the finished character to the headband.

What to Do:

This activity gives kids a chance to practice counting in a fun and active way. This is the perfect option for kids who have lots of energy and excitement this time of year! Put on the headbands or printable reindeer antlers. Then, kids should start by standing next to the 1st sticky note. Kids can take turns rolling the dice. They should read the number on the dice and move forward that many sticky notes. The first person to reach the end of the game board wins!

This game works best when each child has their own die to use. It can get tricky if kids need to leave the square that they are standing on to hand the die to another child. Once they move off their square, it can be hard to remember where they came from! It’s also important to remind kids to drop the die right next to the square they are standing on. If they throw the die, they will need to leave their square to get it- and other kids can get hurt.

For the Tabletop Option:

Prepare:

• Gather your supplies.
• Print the game board and game pieces. Printing them on thicker paper or cardstock or laminating them will help make the game more sturdy.
• Cut out the game pieces. Glue or tape a penny to the base to make them more sturdy if needed.

What to Do:

This activity is an alternative to the life-sized game board option that allows kids to practice all the same math skills while working at a table or desk. Kids should start by choosing a playing piece and putting it next to the 1st square on the game board. Kids can take turns rolling the dice. They should read the number on the dice and move their playing piece forward that many squares. The first person to reach the end of the game board wins!

Try inviting your Elf on a Shelf to play along- and then check out these easy Elf on the Shelf ideas!

Adapt the Reindeer Counting Activities for Preschoolers For Your Kids:

For Younger Kids:

Use smaller numbers:

Instead of using dice to practice counting numbers from 1-6, consider using a dry-erase die to practice counting smaller numbers. Write smaller numbers on the sides of the die. If you are using the numbers from 1-3 for example, you will label 2 sides of the die as “1,” 2 sides as “2” and 2 sides as “3.” If you don’t have a dry erase die, you could also use a deck of playing cards. Sort out all the cards except the numbers you would like to practice. Shuffle and draw cards to choose the numbers instead of rolling the dice.

After you finish playing the game, try doing a craft with your child, like these cute reindeer fingerprint ornaments.

Adapt It For Older Kids:

Use the hundreds chart game board.

Older kids can play this game using the hundreds chart game board (included in the full 12 Days of Christmas Math printable) so they can practice counting from 1-100 instead of 1-20.

Use 2 dice to practice addition.

Older children can play this game using 2 dice at a time. On their turn, they should roll both dice. They can add the numbers on the dice together to figure out how many squares they should move.

Add an extra challenge.

Use tweezers to move your game piece to add a fine motor practice to this activity.

Extensions: Even and Odd:

Help kids practice even and odd numbers by adding in extra rules. You could move forward for even numbers and backward for odd numbers. Or, you could add a rule that anyone who roles an even number gets to roll again.

What Your Kids Will Learn in these Reindeer Counting Activities for Preschoolers:

This activity is great because it helps young kids understand counting in a very concrete way. When kids first learn to count, they are actually memorizing a sequence of words- “One, two, three, etc.” It takes some time for them to understand that each of these words represents a quantity and that the last word that you say when you’re counting is the total number that you have. An easy way to help kids with this concept is to mirror it back to them. After they count 6 objects, reply back, “That’s right, there are 6,” to help them connect the last number that they said to the number of objects. This game is a great way to practice the meaning of counting- while having fun!

Get the Race to the North Pole Free Printable!

Fill out the form below to get your copy of the Race to the North Pole free printable. I’ll also send the other lessons in the Christmas Math games and activities series straight to your inbox. All your math plans for the month are done!

Get all the 12 Days of Christmas Math Games and Activities Lessons!

This huge 200+ page PDF is stuffed with hands-on activities and printables to complete 12 fun Christmas themed math lessons! Each day includes complete directions and printables, plus bonus tips, extension activities, and worksheets to reinforce the concepts your kids are learning. This huge bundle includes all the activities and printables you will need to complete the 12 Days of Christmas math games and activities, plus bonus worksheets and extension activities that won’t be included in the free downloads! Harness that Christmas excitement to make homeschooling fun this season with this easy-to-use resource!

These lessons were designed for kids in preschool through 1st grade. Each lesson includes adaptations to customize it for your child’s unique needs- or so that siblings can do the activities together!

Learn more about this amazing resource here!

Christmas STEM Bundle- Save 30%

Are you looking for hands-on science experiments for your homeschool too? I’ve combined my Christmas math and science resources into a huge STEM bundle! And when you purchase both resources together you can save 30%! Learn more here.

Check out the other posts in the 12 Days of Christmas Math Games and Activities series here to find more fun activity ideas for your homeschool!