Play, count, and strengthen fine motor skills with our deliciously fun Make & Count Play Dough Mats 1–20: Cookies! These hands-on counting mats are the perfect way for early learners to explore number concepts while pinching, rolling, and shaping their way to stronger hands and better coordination.

Designed to support counting collections from 1 to 20, this resource combines early numeracy development with fine motor practise. Students will use play dough to form a set number of cookies and place them on the themed mats—helping reinforce number recognition, one-to-one correspondence, and subitising skills in an engaging and tactile way.

Don’t have play dough? No worries! We’ve included printable cookie tokens for a mess-free alternative. Just print the mats on cardstock or pop them into write-and-wipe sleeves for endless reusability.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Recognise and represent numbers 1 to 20
• ✅ Practise one-to-one correspondence and counting strategies
• ✅ Develop fine motor control and bilateral coordination
• ✅ Strengthen number sense through play-based learning
• ✅ Engage in tactile, hands-on maths exploration

What’s Included:

• 20 cookie-themed play dough counting mats (1–20)
• Printable paper cookie counters as a play dough alternative
• High-quality, print-ready PDF files

Materials Needed:

• Printed counting mats (cardstock recommended)
• Play dough (store-bought or homemade)
• Scissors (if using printable cookies)
• Write-and-wipe sleeves (optional for reusability)
• Zip-lock bags or folders for easy storage

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Set up as an independent numeracy centre during rotations
• 💡 Use as a morning bin or fine motor warm-up task
• 💡 Pair with number cards for number recognition reinforcement
• 💡 Encourage students to say each number aloud as they count their cookies
• 💡 Laminate mats for repeated classroom use across the year

Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Use different coloured play dough to represent sets or sort by tens
• 💛 Have students write the numeral with a whiteboard marker beside their collection
• 💛 Introduce counting language such as “more than,” “fewer,” and “equal to” during play
• 💛 Store each mat and set of cookies in an envelope or zip folder for quick setup

Make & Count Play Dough Mats 1–20: Cookies is a delightful way to blend early maths learning with sensory play and fine motor development—ideal for Foundation and early years classrooms!