Are your students learning about addition to 10? 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 this great Make & Add to 10 Play Dough Mats: Gumballs resource.

This colourful resource offers a playful approach to mastering addition to 10. 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 gumballs from play dough.

Simply print on thick cardstock or pop into write-and-wipe sleeves, get some play dough, and your students will be ready to make gumballs to place into the gumball machines. This is an ideal activity for numeracy rotations, early finishers or home learning packs, and can easily be used year after year. We recommend enlarging this resource to A3 to allow for ample gumball making room!

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Develop number recognition and addition to 10
• ✅ Practise one-to-one correspondence through hands-on counting
• ✅ Reinforce understanding of number combinations within 10
• ✅ Strengthen fine motor skills with play dough manipulation
• ✅ Build engagement and confidence in early maths learners

What’s Included:

• A set of colourful gumball-themed play dough mats
• Addition to 10 equations displayed on each mat
• Visual space for students to create gumballs using play dough
• Multiple mats to support repeated practice

Materials Needed:

• Printed mats (preferably on thick cardstock or laminated)
• Play dough in a variety of colours
• Optional: write-and-wipe sleeves for reusability
• Optional: counters or pom poms as alternative manipulatives

How to Use:

1. Print and prepare the mats by laminating or placing them in sleeves.
2. Provide students with play dough and introduce the target number concept.
3. Students read the equation and create the correct number of gumballs to match.
4. Encourage students to count aloud and check their answers.
5. Repeat with different mats for ongoing reinforcement.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Add to your maths rotation tubs for hands-on number practice.
• 💡 Use in small groups to model number combinations with guided support.
• 💡 Include in home learning packs with a small pot of play dough.
• 💡 Challenge students to create their own number stories using the gumballs.

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Colour-code mats by difficulty or number range to differentiate easily.
• 💛 Use reusable materials like pom poms if play dough is not available.
• 💛 Print on coloured cardstock to add visual appeal and durability.
• 💛 Pair the mats with a number line to help students who are still developing number sequence confidence.

Make & Add to 10 Play Dough Mats: Gumballs are a fun and effective way to combine maths with fine motor play, giving your students a sensory-rich experience while reinforcing important addition concepts.