Allow your young learners to play, explore, count and create with these truck-themed counting mats. Designed with bold illustrations and engaging visuals, these mats are the perfect way to combine hands-on fun with foundational numeracy skill development.

Each mat features a sturdy dump truck with a target number from 1 to 10. Students are invited to roll and shape play dough into rocks and load them onto the truck tray, matching the number shown. This activity helps build early counting confidence by supporting key number concepts like one-to-one correspondence and numeral recognition in a meaningful, interactive way.

This resource is also ideal for developing fine motor skills. The process of pinching, rolling and forming play dough rocks strengthens the small muscles in the hands and fingers while promoting bilateral coordination - an essential skill for using scissors, holding pencils, and managing daily self-care tasks. It’s a purposeful way to blend motor skill development with early maths instruction.

Key Learning Outcomes

• ✅ Reinforce counting and quantity matching from 1 to 10
• ✅ Support one-to-one correspondence and numeral recognition
• ✅ Develop fine motor strength and hand-eye coordination
• ✅ Build confidence with hands-on number representation

What’s Included

• 10 truck-themed counting mats (numbers 1–10)
• Each mat includes a number and empty truck tray graphic
• Colour and black-and-white versions for flexible printing

Materials Needed

• Printed mats (laminate or use in write-and-wipe sleeves)
• Play dough (grey, brown or black for rocks)
• Optional: small stones, pebbles, or buttons as alternatives to dough

How to Use

1. Choose a mat with a focus number between 1 and 10
2. Students roll and form play dough rocks to match the target number
3. Place the rocks in the tray of the dump truck image
4. Encourage students to count aloud as they add each item
5. Swap mats or rotate through during small group sessions

Ideas for Classroom Use

• 💡 Use as part of your construction-themed learning corner
• 💡 Add to fine motor rotations or maths centres
• 💡 Combine with toy trucks and real stones for a tactile experience
• 💡 Pair with number songs or counting stories for cross-curricular fun

Top Teacher Tips

• 💛 Create grab-and-go task boxes with a mat, dough and mini counters
• 💛 Use laminated versions with dry erase markers for added numeral tracing practise
• 💛 Ask students to sort their rocks by size or colour after completing the count

These Truck Counting Mats bring together early maths learning, fine motor practice and imaginative play. With their engaging theme and hands-on format, they’re sure to become a favourite in your classroom maths toolkit.