These snowman shape mats are perfect as part of your winter activities for preschoolers and kindergarten kids. You can easily make adjustments to them based on the ages and needs of your students.
Use the snowman playdough shape mats with a wide variety of materials, from mini erasers to play dough. No matter what you use, the kids will get to practice math, literacy, and fine motor skills as they play.
AND the snowman shapes printable is so easy to prep! You can have the shape mats ready for your students tomorrow with just a little time and a few materials.
Related: Free Preschool Printables
Follow along below for tips on how to prep the mats and a few fun activities to use them in. Then, grab your free snowman shape mat printable at the end of this post!
Snowman Shape Mats
If you’re a regular reader here at Fun-A-Day, then you might already know that I’m not a huge fan of worksheets in preschool. I much prefer activities with hands-on components that help students stay engaged in the learning process.
But not all printables are made the same! Some printables, like the snowman shape mats, promote a mind and body connection that is especially beneficial for young learners.
How to Prep the Snowman Play Dough Shape Mats
In my experience, the best way to ensure preschool activities run smoothly is to come prepared. I like to start by writing down my activity idea along with a list of all the materials necessary for the activity. Then, when I’ve worked out the logistics of the activity, I gather all of the necessary materials.
Below is a list of what you’ll need for the snowman shape mats. You might even have everything you need in your classroom already! I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
- Snowman shape mats (get your copy at the bottom of this post!)
- Printer
- Dry erase pockets
- Play dough
And that’s it! You only need a few items and a few minutes of prep time, and you have a preschool resource that will work for several different activities. And, your students will also get to have hours of fun!
Of course, the materials list can grow or change based on your activity choice for the shape mats. Here are a few other items that you might want:
- Laminator and laminating pouches
- Mini snowman erasers
- Dry-erase markers
- Buttons
- Baby carrots
- Pebbles
- Felt cut into strips
When you have all of the materials together, it’s time to prep the mats. Print out the free printable snowman shape mats. Then either pop them into dry-erase pockets or laminate them. That will depend on your activity of choice. Now, they’re ready for the preschoolers to use!
How to Use the Snowman Shape Mats with Kids
Now that the shape snowmen are prepped, it’s time for the best part! Watch as the kids enjoy playing and learning with them. As I mentioned above, there are several different ways to use the shape mats. I’ll go ahead and outline a few such ways below.
One way to use the snowman shape mats is by pairing them with small manipulatives. As you can see below, we chose to pair them with mini snowman erasers. But you could use any set of small objects you have.
Have the children work on fine motor skills as they place the manipulatives around the perimeter of each shape. Consider challenging students to count each manipulative as they go!
Or use the mats as tracing practice. Kids can grab a dry-erase marker and get to work tracing the snowmen’s shapes and faces. Then they can use the markers to either tap or underline as they read each word in the sentence printed at the bottom of the mats.
One of the kids’ favorite ways to use the snowman shape mats is with play dough! For this activity, just slide each mat into a dry-erase pocket. Then pair them with play dough. Some students will smoosh the playdough into the snowman shapes.
Others will roll out playdough snakes and use them to outline the shapes. Still others will get to work creating with the play dough as they see fit. Perhaps they will create their own 3D versions of snowmen!
Add a bit of magic to any of these activities by pairing them with a few common items used to make snowmen: buttons for eyes, carrots as a nose, pebbles to outline the smile, and felt strips as a scarf. They will have SnOw much fun getting creative using these typical snowman objects.
What’s Included in the Snowman Shapes Printable
Now, you may be wondering exactly what comes in the snowman shape mats printable. Each mat has a snowman face in a particular shape. Here are the shapes included:
- Circle
- Rectangle
- Triangle
- Oval
- Square
- Octagon
- Diamond/Rhombus
- Pentagon
- Trapezoid
- Hexagon
- Heart
- Star
There are 13 shapes and a bonus page. The bonus page has a small image of each shape, making it perfect for a classroom scavenger hunt!
Have students use a dry-erase marker to check off each shape as they find them in the classroom. Or have students use play dough to re-create each shape, checking them off as they go!
What Skills are Practiced with the Snowman Shape Mats?
As you can probably tell, the kids are going to have a blast with the snowman shapes. Regardless of which activity you choose! But even amid all that fun, there are plenty of learning opportunities to be had. Here are just a few things the kids can work on with the free printable mats:
- Read shape names
- Practice left-to-right progression
- Strengthen hand and finger muscles
- Practice fine motor skills
- Form connections between these shapes and similar shapes in the world
- Practice counting if paired with math manipulatives
See? So much fun and learning in one simple printable!
How will you use the printable snowman shape mats with your students? Be sure to let me know in the comments below. Especially if you have a new shape mat activity idea in mind!
More Snowman Activities for Kids
Keep the fun going with some other snowman activities. Here are some of my favorites:
- Snowman Roll and Cover
- Paper Plate Snowman
- Snowman Snacks
- Build A Snowman Activity Tray
- Melting Snowman
- Snowman Shapes Puzzle Printable
- Name Snowman
- Shaving Cream Sensory Snowman
- DIY Snowman Kit
There are so many snowman activities. You can probably plan an entire unit around snowmen alone!
Snowman Lesson Plans
Planning lessons and activities for kids can be so time-consuming. That’s where Preschool Teacher 101 comes in to save you time! Our comprehensive preschool lesson plans, activity packs, and other resources are just what you need to get through the school year.
Click on the image below to learn more about our Snowman Lesson Plans resource:
If the Snowman Lesson Plans piqued your interest, be sure to check out some of our other winter-themed resources. Click on each image for more information.
If these preschool resources seem like they’d fit well with your teaching style and curriculum, consider signing up for a Preschool Teacher 101 Membership. Members get regular access to our products at steeply discounted rates.
Get the Free Printable Snowman Shape Mats
This free snowman shapes printable is available to members of Fun-A-Day’s free email community. If you’re a member, fill out the form below and the download links will be sent to your inbox. If you’re not a member, you can join us by entering your information in the form. Then you’ll receive the printable as a welcome gift!
Be sure to check out my printing FAQ page if you run into any issues.
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