Pre-Primary Math Games
Pre-primary grade children usually learn effectively when playing games. This can happen true in school and home environments. When math games are played within a child's daily routines and activities, learning takes on more meaning. Learning within the context of meaningful routines and activities offers children a chance to think about the routine and activities in a different way. Typical daily routines when math games would be especially appropriate include: during meals and snack time, while involved in play time, and while riding in a car or going on a field trip on a school bus.
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Meal Games
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Many times meals and snack time are overlooked as prime teaching opportunities. Just think about all the different kinds of math games that can be played during these times. The instructional materials are everything that goes along with meal and snack times, such as plates, food, eating and serving utensils and napkins. Plan several different math games related to eating, food, and the people involved in the meal or snack time. For example, a math game might be to see who can count the silverware on the table the fastest, or who can pick up five crackers with a spoon and put them on her plate first.
Free-Play Games
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Play time is also another daily routine and activity that sometimes is not seen as a learning opportunity. If math games are well-planned, they can be so enjoyable that children never notice they are learning and playing. To plan math games during play time, think about what toys the children typically choose to play with and plan ways to engage them with the toys to learn pre-math concepts. For example, if pre-primary children like riding toys during play time, set up a game where they learn about qualitative pre-math and geometry concepts, such as who can ride the fastest, the slowest, the straightest, the most crooked, in a circle, in a square and in a triangle. Give stickers to all who played the game.
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Car Games
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Children spend many hours in cars and on buses. This time is perfect for organizing pre-primary math games. Car math games can be as simple as asking children to find specific numbers on license plates or as complex as asking them to answer math calculation questions, such as "I saw three red cars and two blue cars so, how many cars did I see altogether?" Try a math game that focuses on counting, distance and analysis. Tell children to start counting at a mile marker and to keep counting until they pass the next marker. Have them compare their numbers and talk about why they might be the same and different.
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