purposeful play

simple math for kids

promote early math skills through play

Just a heads up-This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy something through one of my links-you won't pay a penny more-but I'll make a small commission. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

purposeful play

Why is math so important for kids?

Exposure to math concepts, beyond counting, can often times be overlooked during the early childhood years. Incorporating simple math activities into your child’s daily life is really effective in helping your child build a solid math foundation.

Research suggests that young children have an intuitive sense of math and numbers. Researchers believe that math skills come quite naturally to children. That being said, the earlier children are able to explore math concepts the better.

Not only is incorporating early math skills into the daily lives of children fun -mastering early math skills has also shown to be a strong predictor of both future math and reading achievement.

Exploring math concepts while children are young creates new connections in the brain that may otherwise be lost.

Additionally, It also lays the foundation for learning advanced math concepts in the future.

Below you find a list of Early Childhood Math Concepts as well as Simple Math Activities for kids.

You will also find a list of suggested materials to use and have available for your child during play time. In addition I have included my absolute favorite math toys that I have used with my son as well as in my classroom.

purposeful play

early math skills

List of early math skills for children to master before 1st grade

counting

count forward and backward to 20. Skip counting, counting by 5’s and 10’s to 100

one to one correspondence

understand that one means one of something, two means two of something

number recognition

able to recognize numbers 1-20 by their name and put them in the right order

patterns

recognize, replicate and extend patterns

Examples: ABAB

ABBABB, ABCABC

classification

sort objects by multiple properties

Example: sort by color, shape or size

compare and measure

compare by size, weight, number, color

begin to use measurement words and standard tools

arrange objects

arrange objects in a logical way

Example: puts blocks in order from tallest to shortest

sequencing and time

arrange simple events in the correct order of occurrence

use yesterday, today, tomorrow correctly

Example: Bedtime Routine~

1st Pajamas on

2nd Brush teeth

3rd Read

4th Lights out

spatial sense

use positional words correctly

{over, under, behind, in-front of, next to}

shapes

recognizes and can name shapes, describe it’s features and find examples in their environment

data analysis-graphing

learn how to graph and how to interpret a graph

beginning operations

learn very basic ideas of adding, subtracting, dividing and multiplying objects

purposeful play

math activities for kids

purposeful math materials

choose some of these items to add to your child's play space to support and encourage early math skills

strings and beads
counting objects (example-bucket of bears)
variety of puzzles
unifex cubes
board games (dominoes, memory, simple board games)
shape sorters
felt story boards (for sequencing)
legos
magnetic letters and numbers
geo boards
pegboards
sewing cards
gears
blocks
dominoes
number chart
matching games
sorting games/activities
balance scale
graphing materials
shape tracing materials

purposeful play

List of some of my favorite math manipulatives!

All of these math manipulatives for kids are highly effective and purposeful! I have used each of these in my classroom as well as at home. What I love about each one is that they are all so versatile and cover multiple early math concepts! Simpy click on the photo to view more information and purchase.

purposeful play

simple ways to explore math with kids

Count the items in your grocery cart, clearly pointing to each one as you do. Add an item and count them again.
Ask your child to fill the produce bag with a specified number of fruits or vegetables.(example: Ask you child to fill a produce bag with 6 apples, counting each one as they place it in the bag) Ask your child how many they would have if they placed one apple back.
Point out shapes in the environment whenever you are out and about. (Example: point out the rectangle shaped door on the house, or the circle shaped tires of a car.)
Point out patterns as you see them. (Example: “Look at the pattern on this pillow. It has a black square, then a grey square, then another black square and another grey square. What would come next after the grey square?”)
Let your child help you in the kitchen. First read the recipe together. Point out the numbers in the recipe and the measurement tools needed. Together count and measure the correct ingredients needed. Cooking together is such a great opportunity to learn and connect with your child.

purposeful math through play

more about math for kids

Read "15 Hands-On Math Activities For Preschoolers" from Teaching Momma.

@ Teaching Momma

Read "10 Things to Know About Math" from naeyc.

Baby Boy And Girl Playing With Toys In Playroom Together

@ naeyc

Purposeful play

explore other interest areas

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Simple yet purposeful ways to create a literacy rich environment

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Fun and purposeful ways to engage children through the world of science

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art exploration

Simple ways to encourage creativity and art in your child's daily life

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exploration

building & blocks

Learn all about the importance of children engaging in block play

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purposeful play

simple math for kids

promote early math skills through play

Just a heads up-This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy something through one of my links-you won't pay a penny more-but I'll make a small commission. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

purposeful play

Why is math so important for kids?

Exposure to math concepts, beyond counting, can often times be overlooked during the early childhood years. Incorporating simple math activities into your child’s daily life is really effective in helping your child build a solid math foundation.

Research suggests that young children have an intuitive sense of math and numbers. Researchers believe that math skills come quite naturally to children. That being said, the earlier children are able to explore math concepts the better.

Not only is incorporating early math skills into the daily lives of children fun -mastering early math skills has also shown to be a strong predictor of both future math and reading achievement.

Exploring math concepts while children are young creates new connections in the brain that may otherwise be lost.

Additionally, It also lays the foundation for learning advanced math concepts in the future.

Below you find a list of Early Childhood Math Concepts as well as Simple Math Activities for kids.

You will also find a list of suggested materials to use and have available for your child during play time. In addition I have included my absolute favorite math toys that I have used with my son as well as in my classroom.

purposeful play

early math skills

List of early math skills for children to master before 1st grade

counting

count forward and backward to 20. Skip counting, counting by 5’s and 10’s to 100

one to one correspondence

understand that one means one of something, two means two of something

number recognition

able to recognize numbers 1-20 by their name and put them in the right order

patterns

recognize, replicate and extend patterns

classification

sort objects by multiple properties

Example: sort by color, shape or size

compare and measure

compare by size, weight, number, color

begin to use measurement words and standard tools

arrange objects

arrange objects in a logical way

Example: puts blocks in order from tallest to shortest

sequencing and time

arrange simple events in the correct order of occurrence

use yesterday, today, tomorrow correctly

Example: Bedtime Routine~

1st Pajamas on

2nd Brush teeth

3rd Read

4th Lights out

spatial sense

use positional words correctly

{over, under, behind, in-front of, next to}

shapes

recognizes and can name shapes, describe it’s features and find examples in their environment

data analysis-graphing

learn how to graph and how to interpret a graph

beginning operations

learn very basic ideas of adding, subtracting, dividing and multiplying objects

purposeful play

math activities for kids

purposeful math materials

strings and beads

counting objects (example-bucket of bears)

variety of puzzles

unifex cubes

board games (dominoes, memory, simple board games)

shape sorters

felt story boards (for sequencing)

legos

magnetic letters and numbers

geo boards

pegboards

sewing cards

gears

blocks

dominoes

number chart

matching games

sorting games/activities

balance scale

graphing materials

shape tracing materials

purposeful play

List of some of my favorite math manipulatives!

purposeful play

Count the items in your grocery cart, clearly pointing to each one as you do. Add an item and count them again.

Ask your child to fill the produce bag with a specified number of fruits or vegetables.(example: Ask you child to fill a produce bag with 6 apples, counting each one as they place it in the bag) Ask your child how many they would have if they placed one apple back.

Point out shapes in the environment whenever you are out and about. (Example: point out the rectangle shaped door on the house, or the circle shaped tires of a car.)

art
exploration