It’s always exciting to have an excuse to celebrate something positive – in this case, love and friendship. So, happy Valentine’s Day! Our gift to you is a free Valentine’s numbers puzzles pack, which is so much more than just puzzles. We’ll be posting a Spanish version very soon, but in the meantime, you can check out this English-language pack’s core focus and what it includes plus lots of great example pictures below.
Learning Focus
- English numbers 1-9
- Numerals 1-9
- Dice and five or six groupings
- Numbers-as-words
- Letter formation
- Fine motor skills
- Heart-theme
What’s Included
Do you ever get carried away with something? What started out as simple numbers puzzles turned into a shower of Valentine’s numbers! We just kept adding and adding pages, and now this download includes numbers puzzles; pages that can be used as flashcards or worksheets and more; heart dice; and worksheets.
Numbers Puzzles
As easy as 1-2-3! Or, worded another way, these puzzles work flexibly. Use them as flashcards or two or three-part puzzles. You can see the different ways they can be adapted in the picture. There’s even ways to work with them that aren’t pictured, such as using just the numeral and dice portions while using the numbers-as-words (e.g., one, two, three) as word wall pieces.
You’ve probably already heard of “cycling” or “spiraling” in education, meaning going through the same concept or concepts many times to encourage mastery. Breaking apart these puzzles allows you to start at the beginning and then cycle through again as you increase learning from numerals to numbers-as-words and then mingle the ideas as learners improve.
Cards or Worksheets – You Choose!
Can you tell from the picture that not everyone is a fan of Valentine’s colors? I try to be super chill about the little details like ink color (so green!) as long as the work gets done and learning happens. The free Valentine’s numbers puzzles download is more than just puzzles; it includes flexible pages that can be used as worksheets or cut up and used as smaller parts, in morning baskets, at math centers, and so much more.
For example, if you’re working with younger kids, you can print just the pages that don’t involve words. Or, if you have students at multiple levels, you can cut off parts of the pages and give the more advanced skills, like word formation, to older kids.
Heart Dice
Can we just say how flexible these dice are? They can be used as normal dice or as a part of the lesson. Roll and that’s the worksheet the student works on. Or, roll, and that’s how many puzzles the student has to complete to move to the next station. Learners getting wiggly? Roll again and have them identify how many jumps they have to do at their chairs. Or, you can even use them with these game boards to make a numbers game or any game of your choosing!
Other Ideas for Using the Free Valentine’s Numbers Puzzles Pack
Below are some ideas for this heart-themed download. If you have a great idea to share, we’d love to hear from you or to read your comments.
Use What You Have
You’ll see lots of pictures of perfect education printables all over the internet, but learning is messy and imperfect. With this pack, for example, we don’t have a ton of things in our stationery collection that fit the color scheme of Valentine’s Day. And, of course, lots of kids aren’t inclined to pink, red, and pastels. So, I just grabbed what I could find and used whatever grabbed each learner’s attention.
For example, have some stickers? They work great and keep kids focused. Nothing but a box of crayons or a pen? You don’t need anything more than a pen or pencil to complete this pack. Or, as in the picture, you can use clothes pins and paper clips. One of my littles even grabbed some Lego® and used them instead.
Reuse or Low-Ink Print
This is a super-colorable download. But, if you want to use it over and over again, you might consider lamination, clear shelf liner, or the clear sheet protectors that go in binders (our go-to). No matter which of the aforementioned re-use ways you go, you’ll be able to use dry-erase markers or manipulables and extend the life of the pages.
However, if you just have one or two learners, you may not need to reuse this pack. As a relatively low-ink printable that can be colored, it works great for a single user and even for copies well for multiples to have their own versions.
Also Available in Spanish!
Got Thoughts on Valentine’s? Need More Printables?
We love hearing from you and reading your comments below. Get in touch and tell us about your favorite Valentine’s candy, the reasons you do or don’t love Valentine’s, or how these printable pages worked for you.
Looking for more English-language freebies? Check out more more free stuff here. We’re adding new English and Spanish-language printables all the time.
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