DIY Kleenex box (math) games

If you have been saving kleenex boxes but don’t know what to do with them, then here is a simple idea for turning those boxes into games for color sorting, counting, patterning, and anything else you can think of…

DIY Kleenex Box Games by Teach Preschool

To prepare one kleenex box, simply attach an envelope to each side of the box. I used self-adhesive library pockets found at our local school supply store. They fit perfectly and keep the opening sitting upright…

DIY Kleenex Box Games by Teach Preschool

For each pocket, I cut a sentence strip down to fit by length (the width already fit) and printed words on the sentence strips for the children to begin familiarizing themselves with. Some of my students already recognized many of their color or number words and others didn’t. Where I needed to add symbols next to the words, I added them…

DIY Kleenex Box Games by Teach Preschool

Throughout our school year, we collect “math tokens” which are really just odds and ends the children collect from home to bring for our math time each week. As the year progresses, we collect quite a few math tokens so on different occasions, I sort the math tokens into our Kleenex boxes. How the math tokens are sorted depends on which words we are using to go with the tokens…

DIY Kleenex Box Games by Teach Preschool

For simple counting and number word recognition, the children pull out the number words in the pockets of their Kleenex pockets and then reach in the box to pull out math tokens to count out the number of tokens represented on each card…

DIY Kleenex Box Games by Teach Preschool

I made enough “Math Boxes” for each child to have one of their own and the children are encouraged to swap the boxes around with each other to see if they can find new number cards and new math tokens to explore…

DIY Kleenex Box Games by Teach Preschool

Each math box has a different variety of math tokens inside which the children find interesting to examine and since the tokens all come from home, the children enjoy finding something familiar too…

DIY Kleenex Box Games by Teach Preschool

After math time is over, the children scoop up all the math tokens and put them back in our boxes and I save the boxes for a new type of sorting, graphing, patterning, or other math skill…

DIY Kleenex Box Games by Teach Preschool

We have also used the boxes for tracing and drawing…

DIY Kleenex Box Games by Teach Preschool

Math box color sorting…

Math box color sorting

Math box color word sorting…

Math box color word sorting

Lots of possibilities so start saving those Kleenex boxes!

DIY Kleenex Box Games by Teach Preschool

Available on Amazon

Links to grow on

Our take home math bags by Teach Preschool

Simple math graphing by Teach Preschool

More ideas for Math on Pinterest

Deborah J Stewart

Deborah J Stewart

Every time I think I know everything I need to know about teaching young children, God says, "Hold on a minute!" and gives me a new challenge.

Let me tell ya...

With each new challenge that you overcome, you will find yourself better equipped and more passionate about teaching young children.

God didn't call wimps to lead, teach, or care for His children. Nope, he has high expectations, so get ready. You will have to give your very best but after teaching for over 30 years, I can tell you that it is a wonderful and rewarding journey.

Whenever your calling feels hard, just remember, 'He who began a good work in you (and in the children you serve) will be faithful to complete it.'

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