Build Math Thinking for Pre-Kindergarteners
Encourage Counting
· Ask children to count items in picture books: How many cats do you see? How many windows are there?
· Suggest children count real, everyday, objects using one number for each item.
Sorting and matching
· Ask children to match pictures of things that go together in storybooks: “Show me the picture of the bed for papa bear. Show me baby bear’s bed.”
· Ask children to help with simple household tasks such as sorting and matching socks.
Put events in order
· Talk about the fact that stories have a beginning, middle and end.
· Use words that help children understand the order in which things happen, such as “first” and “second.” “First we need to wash our hands. Second we will eat an apple.”
Identify simple shapes
· Help children point out circles, squares, and triangles in books.
· Look for different shapes in your house & neighborhood: What shape are the windows? What shape are the plates?
Understand the Number Line
· Play board games like Candy Land or Hopscotch in which children count the number of moves.
Suggested Pre-Kindergarten Books
Ten, Nine, Eight
Molly Bang
Feast for Ten
Cathryn Falwell
The Three Bears
Paul Galdone
Count and See
Tana Hoban
Ten Apples up on Top
Theo LeSieg
Over in the Meadow
Olive Wadsworth
Shapes, Shapes, Shapes
Tana Hoban
Suggested Games to Build Math Thinking
· Candy Land
· Chutes and Ladders
· Dominoes
· Hi-Ho! Cherry-O!
· Hopscotch