Math Manipulative Activities

Math manipulatives provide young children an opportunity to practice math skills while playing with attractive hands-on items. These miniature versions of animals and objects come in a wide variety of colors, shapes and textures that appeal to children and provide a host of activities to build both reasoning and math skills. Used alone, preschool children can learn important math concepts, develop verbal-reasoning skills and grasp concepts of color and size. In conjunction with simple math worksheets or verbal problems, manipulatives provide opportunities to activate kinesthetic learning (learning through the sense of touch) to reinforce skills.

Exploration

Provide preschool and kindergarten children with opportunities to play and explore manipulatives. When a set is introduced, allow children to devise their own games and interact with the objects on their own to build familiarity.

Attributes

Choose a set of manipulatives, like miniature dinosaurs that contain several attributes. Most are available in varying sizes, shapes and colors.

Sorting

Ask children to sort manipulatives by common attributes. Beginning with sorting by color provides an easy task that most children can accomplish without difficulty. Once children have sorted by color, ask them to re-sort or regroup according to a second attribute. Sort by size or by shape (the kind of dinosaur). This builds visual discrimination and reasoning skills. Encourage children to talk about what they are doing.

Patterns

Practice creating patterns. Children can sort and create a pattern with any attribute, but beginning with color is easiest. An AB pattern with two colors is a great way to start children with patterns. Encourage children to work together in small groups to build a long sequence of alternating colors. Once accomplished, patterns can be created based on any attribute.

Quantity

Use manipulatives to teach concepts of quantity. Provide each child with a card with a number printed on it and ask them to find that many dinosaurs. As skills develop, make it more challenging by adding specific attributes like "find 5 red dinosaurs" or "find 4 large dinosaurs."

Comparing Quantities

Explore concepts of more or less by comparing groups. Instruct children to create a group of three and a group of six and identify which is more and which is less. Children can work in groups or individually to compare quantities.

Conservation of Number

Teach conservation of number by providing a specific number of items. Place them in a row with large spaces between objects. Ask the child how many objects are present. Change them to a row with no spaces between objects and ask the question again. Children may need to count the objects each time in the beginning, but they will soon learn that altering the spacing does not alter the number of objects.

Counting

Teach children to count objects. Many children entering kindergarten are able to count by rote, but do not have an understanding of what those numbers represent. Counting objects provides a hands-on approach to the concept of number correspondence.

Addition

Use manipulatives to reinforce simple addition facts. Provide children with a math problem on a card, such as 2 + 3 and ask them to solve the problem with dinosaurs. Providing objects that are appealing to the age of the child helps him or her to visualize important math concepts.

Variety and Challenge

Change objects often to provide variety and to encourage children to work with new attributes. As children develop, manipulatives that contain a higher number of attributes provide more challenge. Miniature people can be sorted or sequenced according to hairstyle, eye color, clothing or shoes and an assortment of miniature animals can be sorted by a wide variety of attributes from animals with four legs, animals with two legs, animals that fly to animals that swim.

References

• PreschoolRock.com

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