Hen’s Nest Counting Mats: Spring Math Warm-Ups for Counting On and Addition in Kindergarten

Spring Into Counting: Hen’s Nest Math Warm-Ups for K–1

Looking for a sweet and simple way to warm up your math brains this spring? The Hen’s Nest Counting Play Mats are a hands-on favorite for building number sense, encouraging mental strategies, and making counting joyful and meaningful for young learners.

This spring-themed activity is perfect for small group work, independent exploration, or quick daily number warm-ups that don’t require a lot of prep.

Hen’s Nest Math Warm-Up

Here’s one of our favorite ways to use the mats:

• Give each student the 6-dot hen mat (this matches a standard 6-sided dice).
• Have a stack of number cards ready (they’re in the Math Kit Bundle, too!).
• Students flip a number card and place it on their hen.
• They roll a dice, then count on from the number on the card, adding that many cubes or counters (aka eggs!) to the nest.

This is a super practical way to model the counting-on strategy—a foundational skill for developing more fluent addition strategies down the road. It helps children practice starting at a given number and counting forward with confidence, pairing each counted number with a physical object.

Why This Works

• Counting forward from a known number is a crucial first step toward mastering addition. 
• The visual and tactile nature of adding eggs to the nest supports 1:1 correspondence and total awareness. 
• With repeated play, students begin to internalize common addition facts like +1 through +6 naturally.
• It’s playful, purposeful, and just the right mix of structure and flexibility for early learners.

Ready for More? Try This Variation:

If your students are already confident with counting on, try this extension:

• Flip two numeral cards.
• Students mentally find the total using a known strategy (make ten, near doubles, etc.).
• They earn an egg counter only if the total is less than a target number (e.g., 12).
• You can adapt the target number to suit your learners and the number cards in play. This adds an extra level of engagement and encourages flexible thinking and strategic choices.

Spring Math That Grows With You

This activity is just one idea from the still-growing Math Kit Bundle 2—a collection of hands-on games, number mats, and warm-ups designed to make math stick. The Hen’s Nest Counting Mats are part of the latest spring-themed additions and are ready to bring fresh energy to your math groups.

Grab the Math Kit Bundle 2 now while it’s still growing, and get all future additions at no extra cost!
Buy the bundle here.

Bonus Tip: Turn Play Into Informal Assessment

Need to know where your students are at? This warm-up isn’t just great for number sense—it’s a perfect opportunity for math assessment too.

As your students play, take a moment to watch and listen:

• Can they recognize and say the number on the card?
• Do they subitize or count the dots on the dice?
• When they roll, can they say the starting number (e.g. 6), then count on from there (e.g. “7, 8, 9”) and state the total confidently?

If so, they’re beginning to show understanding of the counting-on strategy!

• Can they do it consistently with different numbers?

At your next warm-up, try removing the dot support. Ask, “What is 3 more than 6?” and see how they respond. This gentle progression from concrete to mental math gives you clear insight into their developing strategies—without the pressure of a formal test.