Select a read aloud story that incorporates some math concepts. This can be a basic counting book or a picture book that specifically deals with a mathematical concept. Some suggestions include "Olivia Counts" by Ian Falconer, "Eating Fractions" by Bruce McMillan, "How Much Is A Million" by David Schwartz or "Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday" by Judith Viorst. However, even books without a specific math focus can be used to teach mathematical concepts. Some suggested titles include "The Wolf's Chicken Stew" by Keiko Kasza, "A Chair for my Mother" by Vera Williams and "Henry and Mudge: The First Book" by Cynthia Rylant.
Read through your selected book or books to determine how you will use the book to teach a mathematical concept and make a list of what manipulatives you will need to create. For example, for a simple counting book, you should make manipulatives that correspond to the objects being counted in the book.
Make a template for crafting your manipulatives, then trace this template onto pieces of flannel or paper to create your manipulatives. Cut out each piece. If using paper, you may want to laminate the pieces to ensure they last longer.
Present the lesson to the students by first telling them a little bit about the book, and then explaining to them that they will be using the manipulatives to help act out the story. As you read the story, have students volunteer to place or remove manipulatives from the storyboard that correspond with what is described in the story. For larger groups or for more complicated math concepts, you may wish to place and remove the manipulatives yourself.
Continue to use the board after the story is complete to reinforce the lessons learned in the book or introduce some new mathematical concepts. For example, after reading a simple counting book, you can use the manipulatives to help illustrate basic addition and subtraction problems.