Fun Earth Day Counting to 20 Digital Activity for Kids
If you’re looking for an Earth Day kids’ activity that sneaks in math practice while celebrating our beautiful planet, you’re going to love this! Whether you’re teaching in a classroom, homeschooling your littles, or looking for a fresh way to work on counting to 20—this Earth Day digital activity has it all.
Your preschoolers and kindergarteners will be so proud of their work as they count and drag recycled items into the bin, helping clean up the Earth one piece at a time. 🌎 Plus, with options for Google Slides® and Seesaw®, it’s totally flexible for classroom, therapy sessions, or distance learning!
Recommended Grade Level:
What’s Included in the Earth Day Counting to 20 Digital Activity?
This isn’t just another tap-and-click number quiz. This Earth Day kids’ activity invites children to interact with the numbers in a meaningful, engaging way.
Each digital slide in the Earth Day Counting to 20 activity features a big recycling bin, a number at the top (“I can count to 8,” for example), and a collection of moveable recycling pieces. Kids count the number and drag the correct number of items into the bin using their finger or mouse.
It’s simple, visual, and perfect for helping young learners understand what numbers actually mean—not just memorize them.
Here’s exactly what’s inside the Earth Day Counting to 20 Activity:
✅ 20 slides—one for each number from 1 to 20
♻️ A playful recycling bin illustration on every slide
♻️ Moveable recycled items (like bottles, cans, paper) that kids can drag and drop into the bin
💻 Two digital versions included:
- Google Slides® – Easy to assign through Google Classroom or share via link
- Seesaw® – Pre-loaded as an interactive Seesaw activity ready to assign
💡 If you’re new to digital activities:
- Google Slides works great on Chromebooks, tablets and most laptops. Just share the file with your students or child through Google Classroom or a shared Google account.
- Seesaw is an educational app that many schools already use. It’s super user-friendly and lets teachers assign activities right to their students’ digital folders. Parents can also use a free Seesaw account to access the activity at home.
Either version is perfect for math centers, morning tubs, one-on-one intervention, or distance learning!
Skill Focus (Let’s Talk Learning Goals!)
Whether you’re lesson planning, prepping a therapy session, or setting up independent practice for your preschooler, this Earth Day counting to 20 digital activity targets some powerful early learning skills:
🌱 One-to-One Correspondence – Each recycling item gets counted once for each number. This foundational skill helps kids grasp what numbers actually represent.
🌱 Number Recognition (1–20) – Seeing and identifying numbers without always needing to count up from 1.
🌱 Counting with Accuracy – Kiddos have to match the number precisely to complete the task. If the number says 13 and they drop 11, they’ll know it’s not quite right!
🌱 Fine Motor Skills – Dragging the pieces to the recycling bin builds hand-eye coordination, mouse control, and finger strength (which is super helpful for handwriting later on).
🌱 Following 1-Step Directions – “Put 8 items in the bin.” Simple instructions that boost listening comprehension and task completion.
🌱 Basic Tech Navigation – Learning how to interact with digital tools builds confidence with computers and tablets—which is becoming more and more important even in early childhood education.
Even though this is a digital resource, it’s not just screen time. Every drag and drop has purpose behind it!t’s not just screen time. It’s real learning with purpose behind every click or swipe.
One of the goals in Kindergarten is to get our children excited about learning new concepts and establishing how we will use these concepts and ideas in our future education. Math can sometimes be an unpopular subject with students.
Try providing our little learners with ways to ‘play’ with math, touch, manipulate and visualize different math concepts by having them count real life items as they put them in the recycling bin.
Using this fun Earth Day counting to 20 digital activity for Google Slides® and Seesaw® is a great way to get kids engaged.
Differentiation Tips (So Every Kiddo Can Succeed!)
Differentiation Tips (So Every Kiddo Can Succeed!)
Let’s be real: not all kids are ready to jump right into counting to 20. And that’s totally okay! One of the best things about this Earth Day digital activity is how easily you can adapt it to meet your learners’ needs.
💚 For Beginners or Students Who Need Support:
- Start with numbers 1–5 or 1–10 only. You don’t have to use all 20 slides at once!
- Sit side-by-side and count out loud together as each piece is dragged (“One… two… three…”).
- Use the Seesaw version to record audio directions so non-readers can work more independently.
- Let them use physical counters (like mini erasers or pom-poms) as a warm-up before doing the activity on screen.
🌎 For Kids Ready for a Challenge:
- Ask them to say the number out loud before counting.
- After they place the items, ask “How many more would you need to make 20?”
- Use a blank slide and let them build their own number with the recycling pieces.
- Add a recording response box where students explain their thinking: “I counted 14 because I see 1 group of 10 and 4 more.”
Digital doesn’t have to mean one-size-fits-all. This activity is super flexible for both structured teaching and independent exploration!
Easy Prep for You (Because We Know You’re Busy!)
Let’s be honest… some days you just need an activity that’s ready right now. This one takes no prep at all—just assign and go!
- No cutting
- No printing
- No laminating
- No clean-up
- AND it’s reusable year after year
Whether you’re teaching in a classroom, doing homeschool with multiple ages, or supporting learning at home with your preschooler, this Earth Day activity makes it easy to bring math and environmental awareness together.
How to Get the Activity
- Enter your email below and then check your inbox to get the apple counting to 20 digital activity.
- When you open the file you can click on the format that you prefer to use: Google Slides®, Seesaw® or upgrade to self-checking Boom Cards®.
- If you are downloading the Google Slides version you will be prompted to “Make a copy”. This is an important step you need to complete to make sure you get an editable version to share with your students!
- In Slides, make sure you are in “Edit” mode, as opposed to “Present” mode. You will see the “Present” button in the upper right-hand corner.
- In Slides, just click on the symbol box to highlight it in blue and drag it when the cursor resembles a plus sign with an arrow on each end.
- If you choose the Seesaw version, click the Seesaw image to instantly add it to your Seesaw library.
- Use the Text tool (click on the large T) to be able to highlight each symbol to move it.
- To upgrade to self-checking Boom Cards®, click on the image in the download PDF to purchase the deck to use with your students.
- Or check out the Apple Counting Self-Checking Boom Cards® here!
- Finally, if you choose self-correcting Boom Cards, remember you must be connected to the Internet in order for the cards to work.
After You Finish the Earth Day Counting to 20 Activity
Here are some more digital activities to add to your collection when you are finished with the Earth Day counting to 20 digital activity.
Have Fun with Earth Day Videos!
Earth Day, Hooray! by Stuart J. Murphy
Earth Day Counting
Create numbers with items collected in nature with this inspiring Earth Day counting video.
🌍 Extension Ideas (Bring It Off the Screen!)
Want to keep the learning going after the screen turns off? These Earth Day-themed extension activities are perfect for giving your preschool and kindergarten students extra practice through hands-on, sensory-rich, and screen-free fun.
These are especially great for center time, early finishers, one-on-one support, or just turning math time into something that feels more like play than work.
♻️ Recycling Sensory Bin
This one is a fan favorite in our house. Grab a large bin and fill it with dry beans, paper shred, or kinetic sand. Then toss in some clean recyclables like caps, small boxes, play food cans, and mini paper rolls.
Add number cards or small dice and have your child “pick” the correct number of items to place into a toy recycling bin or container. Boom—one-to-one correspondence and number recognition practice, all wrapped up in sensory play.
Here’s how to make it extra fun:
- Use kid-safe tongs or scoops to build fine motor strength
- Sort the recyclables by color or type (plastic, paper, etc.)
- Add laminated number cards and a small dry-erase marker for kids to write the number after they count!
🧃 Recycling Toss Game
Save up empty juice pouches, cereal boxes, and yogurt containers. Label bins with numbers 1–10 and have kids toss the correct number of recyclables into the matching bin. It’s like cornhole… Earth Day style!
This is awesome for:
- Gross motor skills
- Following 1-step directions
- Counting while moving!
🧼 Recycled Cap Count & Stack
Collect a big pile of bottle caps in different sizes. Write numbers on a set of cards and have kids stack the matching number of caps into towers. Challenge them to see which tower is tallest or most stable!
Check out this fun bottle cap activity for inspiration!
🍃 Play Dough Recycled Shapes
Use play dough to form little “recyclables” like cans, bottles, and boxes. Then give your child number cards to count out how many of each they need to “deliver” to a mini bin. Great for tactile learners!
📦 Cardboard Cut & Count
Grab some clean cardboard and cut it into small shapes—like squares, circles, or pretend cans. Let kids color or decorate them, then count out the right number to match a set of number cards. Bonus points if you let them recycle the scraps when they’re done!
Each of these activities is:
- Low-prep
- Budget-friendly
- Packed with learning
Our Favorite Earth Day Theme Books
Books make everything better! Especially when you’re building a hands-on, thematic learning experience. These are some of our favorite read-alouds to pair with this Earth Day Counting to 20 digital activity. Perfect for circle time, calm-down moments, or building background knowledge before the math fun begins!
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📚 The Earth Book by Todd Parr – Bright, bold, and full of simple ways kids can help the planet.
📚 Michael Recycle by Ellie Bethel – A superhero-themed story that gets kids excited about recycling.
📚 I Can Save the Earth! by Alison Inches – A playful introduction to eco-friendly habits.
📚 Don’t Throw That Away! by Lara Bergen – A lift-the-flap book that teaches recycling in an interactive way.
📚 Earth Day, Every Day by Lisa Bullard – A great early nonfiction option to explain why Earth Day matters.
📝 Activity idea: After reading, have your child or students retell the story and “act it out” with apple manipulatives, drawings, or stickers.
If you’re looking for a no-prep, no-fuss way to make math more fun, grab the Earth Day Counting to 20 activity today and get ready for some sweet learning!
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