If you’re a fan of changing out your classroom calendar numbers every so often, these ghost calendar numbers are for you! You can use them for their stated purpose, or integrate them into a variety of early childhood math lessons.
While the ghost number cards are very simple, they can be used in so many different ways. Use them to explore a ton of early math concepts with your students, from number identification to graphing. And they’d be perfect as part of your Halloween activities for preschoolers and kindergartners.
No matter how you choose to use the free printable ghost numbers, I’m sure your students will get a kick out of them!
Related: Free Preschool Printables
As you can see, the ghost number printables go beyond calendar numbers. The free PDF comes with ghost numbers o through 35 so you can use them with your calendar AND so many math activities! Be sure to get your copy of the number cards at the bottom of this post.
Ghost Calendar Numbers
Read below for tips as you prep and use the ghost numbers. I’ll share some of our favorite ways to use the number cards. But don’t feel limited to my ideas here. You and your students can definitely come up with new ways to use the ghost calendar numbers!
How to Prep the Ghost Number Cards
Start things off by gathering the materials you need to prep the ghost numbers. You really don’t need much to get the numbers ready. Here’s what we used (I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post):
And that’s about it! While you’re in prep-mode, why not pick up any materials you’d like to use alongside the numbers, such as:
- Pompoms
- Buttons
- Math manipulatives
- Spooky mini erasers
- Dry erase markers
After you have all of your supplies at-hand, it’s time to prep the cards. First, be sure to save the file to your computer. Open it in the most up-to-date version of Adobe Reader. Print as many copies as you’d like. Cut the cards apart and laminate them for durability. This way you can use the ghost calendar numbers year after year.
Once all of that is done, you’re ready to use the ghost printable numbers!
Using the Ghost Calendar Numbers with Kids
As I mentioned earlier, you can use the ghost numbers in so many ways! Here are some of our favorite ways:
- Use them in your traditional or linear calendars! They are called “calendar numbers” for a reason. Each card is 3-inches square. So if your calendar is a different size, make sure to adjust your printer settings.
- Pair the ghost calendar numbers with manipulatives to explore one-to-one correspondence. The manipulatives can be ghost-themed or Halloween-themed, or you can just grab your everyday math manipulatives. Have the kids add the appropriate number of items next to each number card.
Related: Halloween Contact Paper Art
- Challenge your students to put the ghost numbers in order from 0 to 35. If appropriate, see if the kids can put them in reverse numerical order!
- Mix up two sets of number cards and explore patterning with the kids. Our bat calendar numbers would pair up well with the ghosts! Kids can finish your patterns or make their very own.
- Put together a ghost-themed sensory writing tray. Something as simple as sugar, kosher salt, or white sand would work well as a base in a shallow tray. The children can practice number formation in the sensory writing tray, using the printable ghost numbers as visual cues.
- Incorporate the numbered ghosts in other classroom activities. For example, you can use them to measure how far each child can jump. Or maybe you like to measure how tall your students are each month. Why not see how many ghosts tall they are during October?
- Play a simple number matching memory game with two copies of the ghost numbers (or add in a second type of calendar numbers).
As you can see, there are a multitude of uses for the ghost calendar numbers. How will you use them with your students?
What Math Concepts Can Kids Practice with the Ghost Numbers?
They’re so versatile that your students can practice a ton of early math concepts with the numbered ghosts. Here are some of the topics we’ve used them for:
- Number identification
- Counting
- One-to-one correspondence
- Number matching
- Addition
- Subtraction
- Graphing and data analysis
- Number formation
- Patterning
- Measurement
- Skip counting
There are likely even more ways to use the ghost calendar numbers, but those are the main ways we’ve used them. Feel free to let me know if I should add to this list!
More Ghost Activities for Kids
Here are a few more ghost-themed ideas to try with your students:
- Ghost Sensory Smash
- Gustavo the Shy Ghost Activities
- Ghost Craft to Work on Scissor Skills
- Shaving Cream Puffy Paint Ghost
- Ghost Number Hunt
- Feed the Ghost Fine Motor Activity
- Ghost Bowling
I think these activities will go along with the ghost calendar numbers very well!
Halloween Lesson Plans
Let Preschool Teacher 101 save you a ton of time with fully-developed, done-for-you early childhood resources. We have hundreds of lesson plans and supplemental packs perfect for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten classrooms. And be sure to check out The Pack from Preschool Teacher 101, a membership site for teachers like you. Members get access to our resources (and members-only exclusives) at a deep discount.
Click on the image below to get our Halloween lesson plans. They come with a weekly overview, detailed daily lesson plans, whole group lessons, small group activities, center ideas, book suggestions, and related printables!
You can also find us on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Get the Printable Ghost Number Cards
As promised, you can get your hands on the ghost calendar numbers here! The printable is available for members of Fun-A-Day’s (free!) email community. If you’re a member, enter your email address in the form below to receive the download link in your inbox. If you’re not a member, you can join us by entering your information in the form below. Then you’ll receive the ghost numbers as a welcome gift!
If you can’t see the form, you can open it here instead.
The post Ghost Calendar Numbers Free Printable appeared first on Fun-A-Day!.