How Do You Teach Math To Preschoolers? Best Methods

As we all know, math is a compulsory subject in most of the educational streams. Therefore, as parents and teachers, it is necessary to pay attention to the matter of how do you teach math to preschoolers.

Spending time teaching math to preschoolers is an investment, and it is essential for a kid’s future education. Since this is important to both parents and teachers, I decided to dedicate this article to preschool math. 

So, how do you teach math to preschoolers? Teachers and parents can easily teach math to preschoolers using games. Preschoolers are supposed to learn different math concepts such as shapes, addition, subtraction, measuring, sizes, colors, patterns, etc. You may use games such as snack and ladders, money muncher, roll the dice, count the button for bear, etc., to make math learning interesting. Further, things like blocks, abacus, different size buckets, and color and number dice can be used to organize activities. 

Before identifying how you teach math to preschoolers, it is better to understand why math activities are necessary for preschoolers? Then let’s identify math concepts, strategies and sample math activities for preschoolers.

It is the duty of parents and preschool teachers to be concerned about this since it is extremely important for kids.

This will be a comprehensive post that covers all the relevant information. Therefore, I have listed the topics I discuss below. Please, feel free to jump straight to the section you want by clicking on the topic.

Let’s get started!

Why are math activities important for preschoolers?

According to studies, infants begin to differentiate the quantities, sizes, shapes, and patterns of objects even before they can sit up. They begin to understand math concepts very early when they start to play.

The parents do not have any idea about this, and they are starting to teach kids math when they are at school age. But age one to five is the best period for parents to lay a foundation on math for their kids. 

Before identifying how do you teach math to preschoolers, it is better to have a piece of wide knowledge on its importance for preschoolers.

Math is a vital part of education for children, and it gives them the improvement of several skills from an early age. A good grounding in math since the age of preschool is essential for them to enhance life skills.

Math activities will support children to solve problems, measure, differentiate shapes and sizes and develop their spatial awareness. Introducing math to children since preschool age will develop their understanding and find reasons for broad contexts. 

Math seems a complex subject for most of the students in their school ages. But if they are given opportunities to understand and engage in math activities from an early age, they can be quickly successful in math.

Math activities will support kids to improve critical thinking, and it will enhance their confidence and competence. Math activities will support kids in brainstorming and cognitive development.

Therefore, it is essential to teach math activities to preschoolers since it is an investment for their future.

What are math concepts for preschoolers?

While answering how you teach math to preschoolers, you first need to know the basic math concepts for preschoolers.

Before planning math activities for the kids, you need to know the preschool math concepts they need to develop.

The math activities should be designed according to those concepts while they are appropriate for the age of preschoolers.

Let’s identify what those math concepts used in preschools are.

• Observation
• Numbers and Symbols
• Identifying shapes
• Parts and wholes
• Perception of quantity
• Graphing
• Problem-solving
• Language
• Number sense
• Spatial sense
• Classification
• Ordering
• Counting
• Identifying colors and patterns
• Measurement
• Comparing
• Addition and subtraction
• Identify sequences
• Estimation
• Representation

Best strategies to teach math to preschoolers

Now let’s consider how you teach math to preschoolers and the best strategies to teach math to them. Make it a fun experience for your kids, and then they will grab it more easily.

Use these strategies to teach your kid math and prepare him for the future educational system from an early age.

1. Teach them to count

You can start to teach math to preschoolers by teaching them to count. Begin with teaching numbers from one to ten by counting with the objects around them.

Introduce numbers and count things with them. Then without prior knowledge, they will begin to follow and repeat you by watching you count objects.

Since counting is the basis of math, you need to use this strategy to teach them to count, and then after they learn to count, you can move into other math activities.

2. Use familiar objects for counting.

Use the objects around your child to teach them counting. Since the objects are familiar, then they will easily begin to learn to count.

You can use apples, oranges, cookies, toffees, toys, buttons, books, balls, etc., as objects to count. These objects are always around them, and then they will begin to observe and learn to count themselves easily.

3. Use Abacus

Abacus is an exciting instrument for kids since it appears like a toy. Abacus is an analytical instrument that is very useful in teaching math, although its colored beads seem a toy for kids.

Therefore, the abacus can be used to teach addition, subtraction, division, and multiplication to kids in a simpler way. They love sliding beads through the wire, and you can use it effectively as a strategy to enhance their math skills.

4. Do math activities daily

Make the child see math as a fun activity and add it to the daily routine. Always encourage them to count and learn everything around and appreciate them.

Always ask them questions regarding math while engaging in day-to-day activities. After children identify math learning as enjoyable, they will be keen to engage in math activities and begin to learn math quickly and easily.

5. Play math games

You can use games designed to teach math for preschoolers or develop your math games to teach your kid.

Adding dice, Chutes and Ladders game, Monopoly are some examples of such games. In addition, rather than using these games, it is much more creative when you design games with your imagination by considering your kid’s ability and level.

Don’t make math an educational burden; just let them enjoy math games and learn from them.

Sample math activities for preschoolers

How do you teach math to preschoolers? Preschoolers learn math through activities, and it is fun to teach them. You must be creative in teaching them math since math is a somewhat complex subject.

Therefore, you should plan engaging math activities, which will easily grab the attention of preschoolers and encourage them to learn math. Here are some sample activities you can try.

1. Jelly Bean Math

Kids love candy, and you can use them for math activities often. A bag of jelly beans and a sheet of 6 circles for sorting should be created.

Then ask the kids to count and sort them into circles according to colors. Then let the kids identify which color jelly beans have the most and ask them to prepare a simple graph indicating the majority color.

This activity will support your kid to identify colors, count, sort, and differentiate the majority. It is an exciting activity since you can allow him to eat jelly beans when he succeeds in tasks. 

2. Dice Game

Take a wooden board with 8 buttons to press and paste white stickers numbered from 1-6 and 2 stars on the top of the 8 pegs.

Then ask the kid to roll the dice and pound the peg with a toy hammer according to the rolled number he had. If the number he rolled was already down, ask him to hit the stars.

From this fun game, the kid will learn to recognize numbers instantly without counting dots. It is good for your kid to identify number concepts.

3. Pouring and Comparing

Take beakers or different-sized vessels and ask kids to fill rice into those vessels. Then tell him to line up those vessels from biggest to smallest.

Let him identify concepts like big-small and empty-full. It is a small and easy activity, and it will lead your child to understand concepts of measurement, size, quantity, and comparison.

4. The Money Muncher

First, create the money muncher by using a tennis ball and knife. Cut a slit across the ball as the mouth and draw two eyes on the ball.

Make it look as if you open the mouth when squeezing. Most of the kids love coins and collecting them.

So take different coins and ask him to sort them into groups with similar ones together. Then teach him their names with the value.

Then take the money muncher, and you should dub it and make it talk and ask if he is hungry and needs a coin to eat.

Then allow the kid to fill the mouth of the money muncher with the coins it specifically requested.

Go through each group of coins, and it will help him identify and sort the coins and their values. It will develop his skills to identify values and relationships.

It is a fun activity with an imaginary and dramatic mood, and kids will exactly love it.

5. Build and Measure Block Center

Take basic building blocks and a measuring tape. Then place the measuring tape up to two feet long on the wall.

Then ask the kid to build up a tower as tall as the measuring tape using different building blocks. It’s challenging to build up a tower with wooden blocks since they fall over so quickly.

They are developing patience and gentle touch in addition to measuring skills here. Kids learn to identify the measurements and the shapes, and they begin to clarify them according to the need.

6. Teddy Bear Button Counting Activity

First, print teddy bear cards representing 1-10 numbers each and take buttons with several colors. Then teach your kid the numbers using cards and count them with buttons.

Then ask the kid to place the relevant number of buttons on each teddy bear card. Practice it several times until he learns to give the correct number of buttons to each teddy bear.

Then you can make it a bit challenging by combining cards and teach him addition and subtraction. This will be interesting since kids love teddy bears and buttons.

It will improve counting skills as well as complex math skills of addition and subtraction to your preschoolers.

Conclusion – How Do You Teach Math To Preschoolers?

Accordingly, I’ve answered the question of how you teach math to preschoolers through this article. Hopefully, now you know the importance of math for preschoolers and the basic concepts you would teach. You can try out mentioned strategies and sample math activities with your kids or students, and share your thoughts with us.

So, it’s your turn to create a young mathematician and prepare the kids for the future education system with the confidence of math skills.

Thank you for reading this post. Stay tuned with Edu Nursery for more valuable content.