Using Number Strip Puzzles and its Top 5 Benefits
Learning how to count numbers is common in preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten. Kids start learning this concept at an early age. But, teaching numbers and how to count doesn’t have to be boring. It can also be a fun hands-on activity to teach your students. That’s why Pre-K Let’s Play created number strip counting puzzles.
A number strip puzzle is an image that’s cut into strips. Each strip has a number underneath the image. Your students must be able to find the numbers. Then they have to arrange them in numerical order to assemble the image back together.
These puzzles need very little prep work and your students will enjoy playing with them. All you need to do is print the pictures. Cut them into strips. And watch your students enjoy these interesting learning games.
You need to have these in your classroom. Especially if you’re looking for counting activities to entertain your students. These templates are for you. For sure. In this post, I will go over 5 benefits of using these number strip puzzles in your classroom. Enjoy!
But wait! Before I go over these 5 benefits, feel free to check out these themed number strip puzzles that Pre-K Let's Play has created. You can find them at the Pre-k Let's Play store. Click on any of the covers get your number puzzle templates today!
1. Number strip counting puzzles help your students with number recognition
There are many ways to teach numbers in preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten classrooms. I noticed that many kids know how to count out loud. In numerical order. From 1-10 with ease. But many don’t know or remember how these numbers look like.
Using number strip puzzles can be a unique way to help them solve this problem. With these puzzles, students can use the image strips as a guide. This can help complete the puzzle and also identify which number comes next. This is helpful because sometimes they can choose the wrong number order. When doing that, they’ll realize that the image is not assembled in its correct form.
In the first picture above, one of my students was solving this puzzle from right to left. She realized that the image did not look quite right. So she tried piecing the puzzle a different way. In the second picture, she took the same strips. Then she started assembling them from left to right. It worked. The image looked correct. The numbers were in order too. This made her super happy to figure it out.
These kinds of puzzle games will force students to pay attention to number order. This will also help them get familiar with how these numbers look like. Completing puzzles like these becomes easier and faster for them too.
2. Number strip counting puzzles help your students with counting numbers
Number puzzles are a great hands-on activity. They help practice counting. They also are a great way to get students interested in counting. Number puzzles even make learning numbers feel natural. And fun too! For sure!
So these puzzles count from 0-5, 1-10, 11-20, and 10-100 by 10s. Playing with them helps your students build number skills. These skills include number sequence, number order, and skip counting.
Number puzzles help your students learn these counting skills. Meanwhile, they are also being mentally engaged and entertained. All at the same time. Now that’s “learning through play". At its finest!
3. Number strip counting puzzles help your students with developing their problem-solving skills
Problem-solving is an important skill for everyone to develop. This is because it helps people think. It also helps people create strategies on how to approach and complete tasks and goals. That’s why learning the basics of how to problem solve should start at a young age. In this case, completing these number strip puzzles will help develop problem-solving skills.
These number counting games contain high-quality labeled images to complement numbers. Like I mentioned before, each image comes in 4 puzzle forms. Each form is based on your students’ level of problem-solving skills.
0-5 (easy)
1-10 (medium)
11-20 (medium)
10-100 (hard)- skip counting by 10s
Completing these counting strip puzzles is the goal. To do this goal, this process requires thinking and trying out many ideas. Whether these ideas work or don’t work out. A lot of thoughts would be going through the young minds of your students. They will ask themselves questions like…
- Does this picture look right if I put this number next to this number?
- What number comes next?
Their active minds will be thinking of a way to complete these images. At times, it will feel challenging for them. However, their problem-solving skills will become better when they work on this skill. their problem-solving skills will also become mentally faster and stronger.
As a result, this way of trying to figure out the solution also builds up their resilience and patience. So as they are problem-solving, these qualities are also developing. All from playing this simple puzzle game. These same qualities can transfer into other areas of their personal lives as well. Aren’t puzzle games so awesome?!
4. Number strip counting puzzles help your students with developing their fine motor skills
It is necessary for your young learners to develop fine motor skills. Fine motor skills are the ability to make movements by using and strengthening the small muscles in your hands, fingers, and wrists. Using counting strip puzzles helps kids practice building their fine motor skills. It is a great resource. This is because it encourages your students to pick up, adjust, and position these puzzle piece strips with their hands, fingers, and wrists.
As a result, this form of practice helps your students in other areas of their needs. Examples include better use of holding a pencil, erasing with a pencil, or even grasping and cutting with scissors. This is why using these puzzles to support the practicing of fine motor skills is so valuable.
5. Counting puzzles help your students build their self-confidence
Assembling these number strip puzzles can be challenging for your students. As we all know, in life everyone goes through challenges. Some harder than others. Your students are no different. Students go through academic, social, and emotional challenges in school tons of times. However, it all comes down to how they react to the challenge. As well as having the mental determination to go through that challenge and complete it.
I believe challenges can be viewed as a good thing to go through. Although this is a small challenge, completing these puzzles actually exercises your students' mental fortitude. When they are super focused and committed to finishing these counting puzzles, they are proving to themselves that they can do this.
As a result, once these puzzles are completed by them, they feel a sense of self-confidence and achievement. They feel proud of themselves. Such a wonderful feeling. Especially when you, as a teacher, acknowledge their accomplishment in completing these number strip puzzle challenges. Their confidence gets boosted even more. So rewarding to see.
Conclusion
So those are the top 5 benefits of using number strip puzzles in your classroom. Yes, they are a great game for teaching your students about counting, recognizing numbers, and number order. For sure. However, these puzzle printables offer much more value to your students than just that. They help develop and strengthen their problem-solving skills, fine motor skills, and confidence.
Number strip puzzles are educational, challenging, and entertaining. They are also developmentally appropriate for all Preschool, Pre-K, and Kindergarten ages. These puzzles are so amazing. Your students will love playing with them!
So if you are interested in having some of your own, then you are in luck! Pre-K Let’s Play has created a selection of Number strip counting puzzles to choose from. Below is a list of them grouped into 15 themes. Select the ones that interest you. Then click on the link in the themed cover and download your copy today.
