St. Patrick's Day pattern block mats are a hands-on way to build fine motor skills this March! With the Fine Motor Mats for St. Patrick's Day | Pattern Blocks, preschool and kindergarten children grab and place pattern blocks (colorful wooden or plastic shape pieces) to build a four-leaf clover, a leprechaun, a pot of gold, a horseshoe, a rainbow, a hat and more.

Fine motor skills help children learn to control the hand, fingers and thumb. These skills help children hold a crayon, write with a pencil and handle everyday tasks. By grabbing and placing the pattern blocks, children build strength in the index finger and thumb while they match colors, identify 2D (flat) shapes, practice pre-writing skills and look closely to find the picture that is different.

With these St. Patrick's Day pattern block mats, you get

• St. Patrick's Day pattern block mats in two levels: color templates and outlines
• Color matching and one-to-one correspondence with every build
• 2D shape identification on every mat
• Picture comparison practice for visual discrimination

Print, laminate and set out a tub of pattern blocks for an easy St. Patrick's Day center.

What's Included

• 10 color template mats
• 10 outline mats for an added challenge
• St. Patrick's Day pictures to build, such as a four-leaf clover, a leprechaun, a pot of gold, a horseshoe, a rainbow and a hat
• Picture comparison activities for selecting the image that is different
• Shape matching for 2D shape identification
• A vocabulary preview of the St. Patrick's Day words

Why Teachers Love It

• Builds hand strength: Grabbing and placing each block works the index finger and thumb.
• Two levels in one: Color templates give support and outlines add a challenge.
• More than fine motor: Each mat adds color matching, one-to-one correspondence, picture comparison and 2D shapes.
• Great for independent centers: Children can build on their own once you model the first mat.
• A lucky March center: Clovers, leprechauns and pots of gold keep children excited to build all through March.

Skills Students Practice

Primary Academic Skills

• Fine motor strength: Picking up, turning and placing pattern blocks builds the pincer grasp and pre-writing skills.
• Color matching: Children match each block to the color shown on the template.
• One-to-one correspondence: Children place one block in each space to build the picture.
• 2D shape identification: Children identify and name the shapes they use.
• Visual discrimination: Children compare pictures and select the one that is different.
• Spatial reasoning: Outline mats ask children to fit shapes together to make a larger picture.

Secondary Life & Learning Skills

• Following directions
• Maintaining attention
• Working independently
• Using mathematical language
• Building confidence during group participation

How to Use It

Step 1: Print the St. Patrick's Day mats and laminate them for durability. Choose color templates or outlines for each child.

Step 2: Set out pattern blocks and model how to match each block to its space on the mat.

Step 3: Children build the picture, name the 2D shapes they used and find the picture that is different.

Materials You'll Need

• Pattern blocks

Easy Differentiation

Children come to fine motor centers with different hand strength and shape knowledge. These mats are easy to adjust for each of them.

For Children Who Need More Support

• Start with the color templates so children can match colors
• Hand children one block at a time to place
• Name each shape together before placing it
• Work on one mat in a small group

For On-Level Practice

• Build each picture independently with the color templates
• Name each shape while placing the blocks
• Find the picture that is different and explain why
• Count how many blocks of each shape a picture uses

For an Extra Challenge

• Use the outline mats so children choose the shapes
• Have children describe their shapes using words like sides and corners
• Build the same picture with different blocks and compare
• Invite children to design their own St. Patrick's Day picture with pattern blocks

For Speech, OT, ELL or Special Education Support

• Use the mats in OT sessions for grasp and hand strength practice
• Practice shape and color words with a frame such as "I need a ___."
• Practice St. Patrick's Day vocabulary such as clover, leprechaun, pot of gold, horseshoe, rainbow and hat
• Offer larger blocks to match each child's fine motor goals
• Give extra processing time before each block is placed

Perfect For

• March math centers
• Morning work
• Fine motor centers
• Small groups
• OT sessions
• ELL and ESL support
• Homeschool learning
• Early finishers and rainy day activities

Standards

These St. Patrick's Day pattern block mats support the 2022 Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines and Virginia's Early Learning and Development Standards (2021), and they build toward kindergarten skills in Common Core, the TEKS (Math, adopted 2012) and the Virginia Math SOL (2023):

Common Core State Standards

• CCSS K.G.A.2: Name shapes regardless of their size or orientation.
• CCSS K.G.B.6: Compose simple shapes to form larger shapes and pictures with pattern blocks.

Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines

• Texas Pre-K Guidelines PK4.IX.B.1: Show control in tasks that take small-muscle strength, such as grabbing and placing pattern blocks.
• Texas Pre-K Guidelines PK4.IX.B.2: Show growing control in tasks that need eye-hand coordination while fitting each block in its space.
• Texas Pre-K Guidelines PK4.V.C.2: Create shapes and pictures using pattern blocks.
• Texas Pre-K Guidelines PK4.V.C.4: Recognize common shapes regardless of orientation and size.

Texas TEKS

• TEKS Math K.6.A: Identify two-dimensional shapes, including triangles and squares.
• TEKS Math K.6.F: Create two-dimensional shapes using a variety of materials.

Virginia Early Learning and Development Standards

• Virginia ELDS HPD3.1: Use eyes and hands together to place each pattern block on the mat.
• Virginia ELDS HPD3.2: Develop small muscle control while picking up and placing small blocks.
• Virginia ELDS CD3.3: Build geometric thinking and spatial reasoning by fitting shapes together.

Virginia SOL

• VA SOL Math K.MG.2: Identify, name and construct plane figures with a variety of materials.

Make fine motor learning fun with these St. Patrick's Day pattern block mats. Add the Fine Motor Mats for St. Patrick's Day | Pattern Blocks to your cart today and have your next fine motor center ready in minutes!

The Fine Motor Mats for St. Patrick's Day | Pattern Blocks are also included in the Fine Motor Mega Pack.

Download Details

Please note: This is a digital download that will be available to you directly after purchase. Nothing will be mailed to you.

You will receive a link to the download in three places

1. On the 'thank you' page after checkout
2. In your email
3. Login on the site here: https://lifeovercsstore.com/account