Teaching Math to Preschool Children
At first glance, the title of this article may sound strange. How can parents teach math to preschool children? Should they be teaching math? Shouldn’t that be left to preschool teachers? I want parents to think outside the box when it comes to everyday math. I’d like to challenge parents to find ways to incorporate math into their daily life with their children. Think about bathtime, dinnertime, bedtime, and playtime.
There are fun and easy math activities to do as a family. The following is a list of ideas to try with children:
1. Count all your fingers and then count all your toes.
2. Sort buttons, beads, small blocks, etc. into muffin tins.
3. Follow step-by-step instructions to a favorite recipe together.
4. Take several pairs of shoes and throw them into a pile. Now match them up.
5. Weigh different objects on the scale, including children.
6. Practice dialing your phone number.
7. Fill up a small cup with mini-marshmallows and guess how many are inside. Now count them.
8. Trace everyone’s hand on a large piece of paper and look at the sizes. Whose is biggest? Whose is smallest?
9. See how many different shapes your child can identify throughout the house or while driving in the car.
10. Read a story and then retell a part from the beginning, middle or end.
Children are developing a multitude of skills when exploring and playing in their environment. The question is, when and where is math involved? Parents can help by providing opportunities in everyday life.