This hands-on maths activity is perfect for Foundation Phase / PS1 learners, whether in a classroom, home setting, or childminding environment. It encourages concrete, pictorial, and abstract learning in a playful, story-inspired way and fully aligns with the Curriculum for Wales.
What’s Included
Printable A4 Owl Babies nest templates – each nest has a number displayed
Use with natural loose parts, counters, or small objects
Read the number in the nest and place the correct amount of objects inside
Perfect for tuff trays, small group activities, or independent play
Reusable across different numbers and difficulty levels
How to Use
Concrete Stage
Place the nests on a tray or table
Children count the number in each nest and add the same number of objects (buttons, pebbles, acorns, pom-poms)
Pictorial Stage
Children can draw objects in the nest to represent the number
Abstract Stage
Introduce number symbols or simple addition/subtraction relating to the nests
Curriculum Links
Mathematics & Numeracy – Counting, number recognition, part-whole understanding
Health & Wellbeing – Fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination
Language, Literacy & Communication – Storytelling, following instructions, Welsh/English vocabulary
Welsh Language Integration
Label the nests with Welsh numbers: “Un” = 1, “Dau” = 2, “Tri” = 3, etc.
Story prompts: “Sawl adar bach sydd yn y nyth?” (“How many little owls are in the nest?”)