Looking for a playful way to bring math to life this winter? These snowman number recognition board games are a hands-on way to teach young learners about numbers 1 through 20. As an added bonus, your kiddos will also be practicing turn-taking, patience, and good sportsmanship.
Perfect for classrooms, homeschool settings, therapy sessions, or even snow day learning, this interactive activity transforms basic math practice into a flurry of fun!
Setting Up and Using the Snowman Number Recognition Board Games
These games are best for small groups of 2-4 players. If you have a larger group of students, simply print extra copies and split your students into smaller groups.
If you want to save the activity, feel free to laminate it. But, if you prefer to skip the plastic, simply printing on cardstock makes this activity reasonably durable. When the boards wear out, we have plenty of other fun game board themes you can print out.
Before starting the game, have the children place their game pawns on the “START” space. If you don’t have real game pieces, you can use pom-poms, counters, or whatever you have on hand.
Next, decide who goes first. You can simply choose the youngest kiddo, or have each of the students roll the die to see who gets the highest number. If you will be playing multiple rounds, you can also just randomly pick a new child to start each time.
Once you’re ready to play, your kiddos will take turns rolling the die and moving forward that many spaces. Each time students land on a space, they’ll read the number aloud for everyone to hear.
If you have non-verbal learners, they can participate in this step using simple AAC devices, like talking buttons. If a device isn’t available, you can simply have them point to the matching number on a number card or communication board.
There are two great options for ending the game. If you’re encouraging friendly competition, declare the first student to reach the finish line the winner. For mixed-ability groups, it will be a more inclusive experience to let all students reach the finish line before ending the game.
Supplies You’ll Need to Play
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- Cardstock
- Printable game boards (see below)
- One game pawn per player (These mini snowmen are perfect!)
- One standard six-sided die per small group
- Laminating sheets (optional)
Easy Ways to Adapt the Activity for All Learners
This snowman number game comes in three versions to suit a range of skill levels. There are game boards for numbers 1–10, numbers 11–20, and numbers 1–20. Start with the easiest board and work your way up as your student’s skills increase.
To support students with fine motor challenges, use bolsters or attach handles to the game pieces to make them easier to grasp. Ring-style tokens are another great option that don’t require grasping at all.
For students answering via eye-gaze or communication devices, check out this printable set of basic number cards. They are perfect for using with felt boards or push-to-talk buttons.
No matter how you use them, we hope your students love these snowman number recognition board games. Happy winter!
More Great Number Activities to Enjoy
Activity 1
Activity 2
