Activities for Preschool in Math Subjects
Preschool age children learn best through hands-on discovery learning. Hands-on classroom activities allow students to completely explore and manipulate objects so they can make sense of novel concepts. Some activities provide preschoolers with the basic pre-math and math skills they need to begin to understand concrete math concepts. In setting the stage for future learning, pre-math skills are as important as math skills such as counting.
Other People Are Reading
-
Matching
-
Matching is one of the most basic pre-math skills that preschoolers need to master to understand more difficult math concepts. Matching allows student to learn to figure out what is different and what is the same. Try an Easter or spring time activity for matching. Buy at least two dozen plastic eggs. If you can find ones with a pattern, that will make the activity more difficult, but very rewarding. Hide the eggs around the classroom or in the hallway where student's can easily reach them. Have the students work in pairs to find matching sets of eggs and put them in baskets.
Sorting
-
Sorting is another route to teaching students how to find similar attributes in separate items. As in matching, the children must put like items together. When sorting, the students work with multiple items instead of just a pair. Pair students up and give each pair an empty half dozen egg carton. In the egg carton, have jelly beans already sorted into six colors, putting one in each compartment. Give each pair of students a bowl of jelly beans in all colors. Have them sort the colors into the egg carton. When they are finished, they can eat the jelly beans.
-
Counting
-
Most preschool age children learn to rote count before they can count with one-to-one correspondence. This activity will be most successful with children who can rote count to five. If you have students who are still learning, pair them with students who have mastered this skill. Divide the class into pairs and give each pair a set of bowls with the numbers 1 through 5 written on the inside bottom of the bowl. Give each group another larger bowl full of a counting item, such as marshmallows. Have the students count out the number of items to correspond with each bowl, with one marshmallow in the "1" bowl and so on. Students can eat the snacks when finished.
Number Recognition
-
Once students learn to rote count and begin counting with one-to-one correspondence, you can them what each number symbol means. This is done easily by counting each day with a calendar or using magnetic numbers as part of your daily routine at morning meeting or circle time. Each week can feature a number and that number stays on the circle time board all week. Each day, the teacher helper matches a special item to that number. For example, if the number is 2, the teacher helper finds two books on Monday, picks two songs on Tuesday, attaches two items under the number on the board on Wednesday, or picks two friends to lead a story with the group on Thursday.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Goodshoot/Getty Images
