Ocean Counting Mats

These ocean counting mats are great for little ones to get a sense of their numbers. They can count along as they count the animals or they can place counters on top of the dots, or color them in with markers or bingo dabbers. There’s also a place for them to practice writing numbers as well.

If you love these, you’ll love the other ocean worksheets for kids. These counting mats are a great way to continue with learning over the summer months or to supplement with various ways to help your child start counting and memorizing as well.

Themed learning is always a good idea because it motivates the kids to want to be a part of it. This is why I love studying units like this during the summer months because it gears them up and keeps them excited for learning!

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Ocean Counting Mats

What you’ll find with these fun counting mats is that they’re geared towards early learners and help them learn their counting skills in a fun and confidence-building way.

This means that they’ll be able to focus on these worksheets and use them again and again. Because we all know that when it comes to numbers, memorizing and repetition are the key. Plus, it’s super fun to see their confidence grow in a way that they’ll be able to use to their advantage too!

Once they get the basics of counting down, there’s no stopping them! They’ll be counting anything and everything that they can and you’ll love seeing them grow and explore.

I also love that once you print out these worksheets, you can use them again and again. I tend to have binders full of worksheets that we’ve done throughout the years that I’ve printed out and keep. It’s a great reminder that with a little bit of effort, I can easily have printables that I have to print once but literally use a ton!

If you’d like to use them again, place them in sheet protectors and have them write on it with a dry erase marker. The mats can be used with pom-poms, blocks, balls of play dough, or bingo dabbers. It’s as simple as that!

They can complete the sheets and then you can wipe them clean and start the process over again!

Be certain to check out my Fun Ocean Activities for Kids as well for even more great ideas!

Are you looking for fun learning activities for a preschooler? Then check out this list of Ocean Activities for Preschoolers!

Recommended Ocean Books for Kids

Don’t forget to pair this learning lesson up with great reading as well! I think that reading and learning numbers pairs perfectly together because both skills keep them engaged and active.

You’ll find that once they start to count, they’ll be counting out things in books, too! Even if they aren’t quite old enough to read or are just starting out in reading, books offer so many ways to explore. Even looking at pictures is a way for their minds to continue to grow.

If you have a kindergartener, you can check my Ocean Books for Kindergarten blog post to get more ideas on what books are perfect for them.

Pair these counting mats with any of these engaging and colorful ocean books to learn more about the ocean habitat for your favorite animals. It’s also a great way to segway and talk about ocean animals, too. Because once you get on a topic, you’re not going to want to stop. Since the ocean is so huge and vast, the kids should have plenty of learning resources that they can easily use to continue to expand on this topic.

This book list is just a start so don’t forget to grab more as you see them. I have books scattered all over the house and in the car for the kids to easily grab and sit down with. Make certain to peruse and find other great books to add. I even have extra that I cycle out so that I keep them fresh and new. It’s amazing how the kids will read a “new” book quickly again if I take it out of our normal book rotation for a few months.

I’m always amazed at how much they want to read and it just seems to calm down a busy day, too. Or if we’ve got errands to run or things to do, having books in the car is perfect! The kids can sit and wait easily as we travel from place to place while they get to read. And I love when they tell me fun facts from the back of the car!

Hello, World! Ocean Life The Big Book of the Blue (The Big Book Series)Pete the Cat: Pete at the Beach (My First I Can Read)The Rainbow Fish Commotion in the Ocean Stella : The Shark Who Loves Treasure (Ocean Tales Children’s Books)

Recommended Ocean Activity Kits

Check out these ocean-themed activity kits that your kids will love.

Little Learners Print & Go Math Kit: Ocean

Grab this ocean-themed worksheets! Kids can learn (or practice) basic math, patterning, and more!

Deep Blue Seascape Activity Kit

Get this activity kit for your little ocean-lover.

The more that you can combine fun ocean learning activities, the better! The kids will do a great job of lumping everything together to make it easier to read and do!

It’s also a great way to bring the ocean theme into your counting routine for your little ones. Print out these ocean counting mats to practice counting up to 10, you can also use them for adding and subtraction up to 10 as well.

The other big thing to keep in mind when you’re doing themed learning is that it’s fun to compare to the real world, too. If you’re lucky enough to live close to the ocean, planning a trip to the beach after doing worksheets is a great trip and treat!

The kids can easily spend their time counting the waves or counting all the seashells that they find along the way. This simple method of real world fun and worksheets has always worked out so well with my kids.

You do whatever works best for you and the kids and just make certain that you have fun doing it!