Math centers using Dollar Tree rocks

This week I'm on a mission to share some fun math activities that your kiddos will love - the best part is that all of the materials you will to put them together are from the Dollar Tree.  I went to my local Dollar Tree store and I spent $11.  That $11 bought materials for 15 different math activities that are perfect for preschoolers.  I'll share one set of materials each day, and show you different games that you can use them for.

Here are the items that I purchased:

Today I want to share the activities that I put together using these great black river rocks and the multi-colored accent gems.

I used a white paint pen to write the numbers on the river rocks because I had one at home, but you could also use stickers, a silver Sharpie, or even white out.

Once the rocks are numbered you can put them in a basket and ask the children to put them in the correct number order.  After they are laid out in order the children can count the correct number of stones to go with each river rock.  These are also great for seasonal math practice because you can switch out the items that you want the children to count (seasonal erasers, candy corn, miniature ornaments, etc. instead of the glass stones).

The glass stones can also be used for sorting - which could lead to some interesting conversations because some of the stones in my pack were multi-colored and I would love to see how the children determined where these should go.  Once the gems are sorted there are plenty to use for all kinds of patterning practice.  

How else could you use these materials for math practice? For more great ideas check out the rest of my Dollar Tree math material posts!

Dollar Tree Math Materials