Fall Numbers Circle Time Games

Happy fall, y’all!! (Yes! We really do say “y’all” here in Texas!!) In my last post, I shared my fall-themed alphabet circle time games with you. And today I am SO excited to share my fall-themed NUMBERS & COUNTING circle time games with you!! All of these games are ready to print and use, BUT you can also easily DIY them if you don’t want to purchase the resource! (But, for ONE DOLLAR, it might actually be cheaper just to buy it! There’s a link at the bottom of this post if you want to grab your own copy!)

Leaf Hunt

This hide-and-seek style game is so much fun to play with your little ones who are learning to identify numbers! Here’s what you need:

Cards with the numbers 1-10 (or fewer numbers if your kiddos aren’t ready to go to 10)
A leaf cut out
The Leaf Hunt chant

Here’s how you play this game:

Lay the number cards out on the floor.
Have all of your kiddos close their eyes. No peeking!!
Choose one kiddo to hide the leaf under one of the number cards.
Have all of your kiddos open their eyes.
Say the chant together.
Choose one kiddo to guess where the leaf is by telling you the number on the card.
Let up to 3 kiddos guess before you show them where the leaf is.
Keep going for as long as you think is appropriate for your class!

The chant for this game is super simple:

We’re going on a leaf hunt, leaf hunt, leaf hunt. We’re going on a leaf hunt to find the missing leaf!

I always like to have my kiddos clap, tap their knees, or pat the floor to the beat of the chant. It’s not just a fun addition to the game, but it emphasizes the rhythm of the chant (an important skill when they learn to read poetry later in life) AND it increases engagement for those little ones who need to be moving!

I Have, Who Has

This game is a classic! But it never gets old! If you’ve never created I Have, Who Has cards before, it can be a little tricky the first time. Basically, you need a beginning card and ending card. In between those, each card leads to the next one in the chain. Here’s a picture of the version in this particular set of circle time games to give you an idea:

I’ve always done the words on the beginning card in green and the ending card in red. This lets even non-readers know if they have the first or last card. Sometimes I’ve even put a green dot sticker on the first card ans a red dot sticker on the last card to make it a little more obvious. Once your kiddos know the pattern of how to play the game, no reading is required because they just follow the pattern!

To play this version, they have to count the number of objects on their card, and they have to listen for someone to ask who has that many. Once they get the hang of it, it’s always fun to challenge them to do it faster! They love trying to beat their own time, and it gives you a chance to have a competitive game that doesn’t have any losers! Teamwork is the name of the game with this one when you start trying to speed it up!

How Many Are Hiding?

This game has always been a favorite with my kiddos! It helps them practice counting, but also starts developing number concepts that will be critical when they start learning to add and subtract!

Here’s how to play this game:

Show your kiddos how many acorns you’re using. Count them together and make sure they all know how many you’re starting with.
Choose one kiddo to be the “squirrel.”
Have all the other kiddos close their eyes.
Have the squirrel hide some (or all) of the acorns under the squirrel cut out.
Have the other kiddos open their eyes.
They look at how many acorns are still on the ground and use that to figure out how many the squirrel took.

You can play this over and over again until your kiddos get tired of it! And, you can continue to increase the number of acorns you use as your kiddos get better and better at this! The ultimate goal is for them to be able to tell you how many are hiding without even counting. So, the more practice the better! If you want to know the teacher-speak for this skill, it’s called decomposing numbers. And, it is as important to your kiddos future success in math as letter sounds are to their success in reading!

So… there you have it! Three super fun circle time games that will have your kiddos practicing numbers and counting, and they will just think they’re playing fun games! Like I said before, you can DIY all of these if you want! But, you can also get the entire set in my TPT store for ONE DOLLAR! The product cover below will take you straight to it!