Are your students learning about addition to 20? Are you looking for a fun, hands-on resource to help them develop their knowledge and understanding of addition as well as build their fine motor skills? Allow your young learners to play, explore, count, add and create with these ice cream themed addition mats.

This colourful resource offers a playful approach to mastering addition to 20. Each mat features an addition problem alongside space for tactile play dough creations. By combining hands-on manipulation with mathematical concepts, children can engage deeply with addition, reinforcing their understanding through sensory experiences. In addition to practising key counting and addition concepts, such as number recognition and one-to-one correspondence, this hands-on activity allows students to practise their fine motor skills as they make, count and add collections of ice cream scoops from play dough. Pinching, rolling and shaping play dough to create a set number of ice cream scoops will help to strengthen the small muscles in the hands and fingers whilst simultaneously developing bilateral coordination, which is essential for daily tasks, such as using tools, tying shoelaces or buttoning shirts.

Simply print on thick cardstock or pop into write-and-wipe sleeves, get some play dough, and your students will be ready to make scoops of ice cream to place into the bowls.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Develop fluency in addition facts to 20
• ✅ Strengthen number recognition and counting skills
• ✅ Use one-to-one correspondence when creating sets
• ✅ Improve fine motor coordination through tactile activities
• ✅ Engage with mathematical ideas through play-based learning

What’s Included:

• A selection of colourful addition mats with:
  • - Visual addition problems up to 20
  • - Space to place play dough scoops in each bowl
• Printable in A4 or enlarge to A3 for more room
• Bright ice cream theme to capture student interest

Materials Needed:

• Printed addition mats (on thick paper or cardstock for durability)
• Play dough in a variety of colours
• Write-and-wipe sleeves or laminator (optional)
• Whiteboard markers if mats are laminated

How to Use:

1. Print the mats and laminate or place into write-and-wipe sleeves for reuse.
2. Provide each student with a mat and some play dough.
3. Students read the addition sentence on the mat.
4. They roll small scoops from play dough to represent each number in the problem and place them in the corresponding bowls.
5. After creating the scoops, students count all the scoops to find the total and read the complete number sentence.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Add to your maths rotations for a fun, low-prep station.
• 💡 Use in small group instruction to support early addition concepts.
• 💡 Provide as a fine motor activity during play-based learning sessions.
• 💡 Use with EAL or support students for visual and tactile reinforcement.
• 💡 Set up as a morning warm-up task to get little hands and minds working.

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Enlarge the mats to A3 for younger learners who need extra space to work.
• 💛 Mix and match colours of play dough to represent different parts of the addition sentence.
• 💛 Store laminated mats and tubs of play dough in labelled baskets for easy access.
• 💛 Encourage students to record their number sentences on mini whiteboards for added practise.

Make & Add to 20 Play Dough Mats: Ice Cream are a delightful and hands-on way to reinforce number concepts while building fine motor skills. Your students will love counting their colourful scoops as they master addition to 20 through creative play!