Counting with Creepy Crawlers: A Spider-Themed Math Warm-Up

Get your students excited about math and creativity with this fun spider-themed game! This activity is perfect for building subitizing skills, practicing counting, and letting their imaginations run wild with a spooky twist.

Roll and Draw Spider Math Game for Kids - Fun Counting Activity

All you’ll need are dice, drawing paper, and coloring supplies to get started. This game not only makes math engaging but also gives students a piece of art they’ll be proud to display.

How to Play: Roll and Draw Spider

In this game, students roll a die and build a spider by drawing parts as they go. This encourages students to practice ordering numbers and subitizing dot patterns in a fun, hands-on way.

Step-by-Step Game Instructions:

Roll to Start: 
  • Begin by rolling a 1. 
  • Students must roll a 1 before they can draw the spider's body!
  • Roll for Each Part: After the body is drawn, students roll the die to add more features to their spider in this sequence:
  • 2: Draw two eyes.
  • 3: Add a mouth and two teeth or fangs.
  • 4: Draw four legs on each side (eight legs total).
  • 5: Draw some spider silk (5 little waves).
  • 6: Add a hexagon-shaped web for an extra challenge!

Add Creative Touches: 

Once they’ve drawn all the parts, encourage students to add details like finishing the web, adding background colors, and even drawing tiny insects or flies.

This interactive drawing game supports fine motor skills and adds an element of surprise, as students never know what they’ll get to draw next!

Spider Art and Math Activity - Hands-On Learning for Preschool and Kindergarten

Counting Game with Spiders - Subitizing Dice Activity for Young Learners

Spider Web Drawing with Chalk - Fine Motor Practice for Early Learners

Pattern Block Spider Math Game - Free Printable for Creative Math Learning

Extra Spider Theme Activities for the Week

Make it a week of spider-themed learning with these engaging and educational activities to integrate math, language, and fine motor skills.

Math Activities:

  • Counting Sets of 4 or 8: Help students visualize spider legs by counting in groups of 4 or 8. 
  • Use counters, unifix cubes, or even small spider toys to make groups, then practice adding groups together.

Making Equal Groups: 

Build arrays of 4 or 8 using blocks or counters. This can help with early multiplication skills and understanding of grouping.

Language and Writing Activities:

  • Create a Spider Word Chart: Make a list of spider-related vocabulary, such as "web," "legs," "fangs," "silk," "creepy," and "arachnid." This helps students expand their vocabulary in a fun, thematic way.
  • Spider Fact Writing: Ask students to write simple sentences or fun facts about spiders. Consider pairing this with a mini research activity or a short video on spiders to get them engaged!

Fine Motor and Creative Arts Activities:

  • Outdoor Spider Web Chalk Art: Head outside for some creative movement and fine motor practice by drawing giant spider webs on the ground with chalk. Students can work together to create large webs, helping them practice coordination while also reinforcing shapes and line work.
  • Build a Spider with Pattern Blocks: On the Pond Coloring Club website, there’s a free Hexagon Spider page that lets students use pattern blocks to build a spider and color it on a page. This activity blends math, creativity, and a bit of engineering!
For more spider teaching ideas, be sure to check out my dedicated Spider Teaching Ideas page on From the Pond. You’ll find additional spider-themed activities to make your week even more exciting!

Quick Play Review: 

  • Roll and Draw Spider Math GameObjective: Roll dice and draw a spider part with each number rolled.
  • Materials Needed: Dice, drawing paper, markers/crayons.
  • Steps:Roll a 1 to start and draw the spider’s body.
  • Roll each number (2-6) to add parts in sequence: eyes, mouth, legs, silk, web.
  • Add extra colors and details to complete the spider.
  • Skills Practiced: Subitizing, ordering numbers, fine motor, creativity.

I hope your students love rolling and drawing their spooky spider friends, and I’m sure they’ll be thrilled to see their creations displayed! For more activities like this, check out the Math Warm Ups page on my website. And don’t forget to download the Hexagon Spider Math Game on the Coloring Club website to keep the spider fun going all week!

Happy Spider Counting! 🕷️