Math Activities for Infant & Toddlers
As adults, we may recall our first encounter with math as unfolding under a teacher's watchful eye in school. In reality, humans begin developing math skills in infancy. Babies and toddlers solve rudimentary geometry problems, negotiate numbers and use deductive reasoning in their daily play. With parental guidance, young children can strengthen these innate skills. By the time a child approaches that first classroom, her geometry might be in pretty good shape.
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It's a Numbers Game
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According to scientists at Duke University, some infants develop an ability to count as early as 7-months-old. Parents can nurture this skill with a variety of games. Use numbered finger puppets to introduce a baby to counting, while helping her recognize numeric symbols. Toddlers will appreciate home scavenger hunts where the goal is to collect a specific number of items. Colorful sponges shaped like numbers make bath time educational and fun for infants and toddlers alike.
Sing It, Baby
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Music and rhythm play fundamental roles in a baby's development. Research suggests infants as young as two days old can detect the beat of a song. Toddlers can improve their fluency with numbers through sung nursery rhymes and poems, while babies can use toy drums and tambourines to foster concepts of quantity. "One Potato, Two Potato" and "This Little Piggy Went to Market" have been sung and chanted by children for years.
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Shape Up
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A baby's awareness of her own body in the world begins her introduction to geometry and spatial sense. From there, she'll progress to recognizing patterns and shapes. A parent can help a child explore this new terrain by providing simple puzzles with inserts, building blocks and stacking rings. Cookie-cutter pancakes can teach circles, rectangles and squares. Parents can cut their own pancakes with a plastic cutter and show their child how to cut her own, while talking to her about the various shapes.
Compare Notes
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Math surrounds both parents and children. Just as a toddler encounters math in her everyday environment, parents routinely measure, calculate and use statistical reasoning. Parents can help their children immeasurably by talking them through their own daily activities. Develop a dialogue when cooking, folding laundry or counting change. Let children help sort canned goods from fresh vegetables. Share reasoning strategies. Encourage questions. Reward attempts, even when they result in mistakes.
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