This simple and low prep Christmas tree counting craft is a great way to work on the skill of One-to-one correspondence with little ones. As they learn, this educational activity will allow you to incorporate all the excitement that comes with preparing for the Christmas season into the learning process.

What is One-to-one Correspondence?

One-to-one correspondence is the idea that numbers correspond to specific quantities or the principle that each item in a given set can be counted only once. One-to-one correspondence is a vital beginning Math skill for young children. It can take months for children to begin counting objects with one-to-one correspondence. 

4 tips to consider when working on the skill of one-to-one correspondence with your child.

1. Model counting objects lined up on a table/floor so that your child is learning to keep track of the objects they are counting.
2. As you model, pull each object with your finger so that your child sees how you go about accurately tagging each object in the group that is being counted.
3. Ensure that your child is confident with the number sequence that is needed to count a given group, this way they are able to tag correctly.
4. You can practice learning number sequences by consistently counting objects in your child’s environment. If a child does not know the number sequence when asked “how many?” they will say the last number word they uttered, which might not be correct, instead of knowing the cardinality.

The materials you will need to recreate this simple educational craft:

• Green and yellow construction paper 
• Glue
• Pencil
• Markers
• Dot stickers
• Scissors

Steps to recreating this simple educational craft:

Step1: Choose a background for your Christmas tree. I used pages in our learning journals. (Sketch pads I got from Walmart.)
Step2: Use your scissors to cut your green construction paper into a triangle and cut a star from the yellow construction paper.
Step3: After, use some glue to glue the shapes onto the paper of your choice.
Step 4: Wait for the glue to dry. Then use a bottle cap to draw the circles onto the triangle.

Step 5: use a marker to make dots in each circle for the amounts you want your little ones to work on identifying. After you have all the circles in place, use a brown marker to colour a bark for the tree.
Step 6: Draw three Christmas bulbs onto the page, one red with the number two, one yellow with the number four and one blue with the number three. (Feel free to use any colour for any number.)
Step 7: Write the corresponding numbers onto the dot stickers for your little one to match the amounts by colour on the Christmas tree.

After following all the above steps, it is time for some learning fun.

When presenting your little one with this activity, you can allow them to count out pom poms for the numbers you are working on. Repeated practice counting can never be too much.

This activity is also great for working on:

• Reviewing colours
• Number recognition
• Concentration
• Hand-eye coordination
• Fine motor skills development

Other articles you might find useful:

DIY Montessori Spindle Box Inspired Counting Activity for Toddlers

Weather Themed Umbrella Counting Craft For Preschoolers

DIY Cardboard One-to-One Correspondence Counting Cards For Toddlers

 I do hope you find this simple educational Christmas tree activity useful. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us by sending us a message or visiting us @learning.stepbystep on Instagram, Learning Step By Step on Facebook and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for educational resources that will help you and your littles on their learning journey as they continue to Learn Step By Step!

Thank you for being here!

Kimberlee and the Learning Step By Step Team.