On the outside, they don’t seem too challenging, but all of those Is, Vs, and Xs can quickly become a math time nightmare. Since Little Miss is just starting to learn them, I wanted a more concrete way to connect the Roman numeral with the actual number of objects. We’re concrete learners over here when it comes to math, so I whipped up some Christmas Tree Math Match Sheets.
The object of these is to correctly identify the Roman numeral and place the correct number of objects on each tree. It’s a great way to reinforce the concept and since Little Miss loves to color and decorate, this was a simple option.
When we first started practicing, I kept the sheets intact – no cutting out of the trees. I wanted to use them over several lessons, so I printed them out on card stock to help them last longer. Each sheet was introduced in succession and the number was discussed and identified before moving on to the decorating. She quickly mastered the trees and sheets in order, so it was time to switch it up a bit. To do that, I cut out the trees and mixed them up.
Understandably, this was a tad bit more difficult, but she practiced a couple more times and mastered it. On the last pass, I set out pompoms, jeweled decorations (her favorite), and ribbon for her to glue on the trees as a more permanent decoration. You could even turn the trees into holiday decorations for the house by punching a hole in the tops and running lengths of ribbon through them. Math decorations for the holidays? Yes, please!
You can download and print out your Roman numeral trees (I-XII) below. Remember, if you want them to hold up over several lessons, print them out on card stock instead of plain copy paper. If you want to use them from year to year, place them between two sheets of clear contact paper and laminate them! Have fun and may your Roman numeral studies go well!
ROMAN NUMERAL MATH LESSON PLAN: CHRISTMAS TREE MATH MATCH