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- Pre-Kindergarten Mathematics
- Patterns
- Number Sense
- Counting Sets and Making Sets
- Recognizing Shapes
- Sorting
- Same and Different
- Measurement
Pre-Kindergarten Mathematics During each theme, the children are introduced to one numeral. For each
numeral, the children practice recognizing and writing the numeral. With
recognizing the numeral, the children learn to see the number and show �how
many� with objects. After creating sets, or groups, the children learn to
identify the amount in their heads to easily recognize the set and tell how
many. Each theme, the children count and put the numbers in counting order.
In addition to numerals, the children identify and draw shapes. The
shapes that are introduced in PreKindergarten are: rectangle, square,
circle, and triangle. Also, the children are introduced to three-
dimensional shapes such as box, ball, and cone.
The students continue by learning about patterns. The children make
patterns with shapes, numbers, music, and sounds. The children are taught
how to identify a pattern and how to extend a pattern that is already made.
The children are exposed to forms of measurement including length (long
and short), size (big and small), height (tall and short), and weight (heavy
and light). The children are taught how to describe the object by
telling if it is big or small, etc. After learning about measurements, the
students compare and order the objects.
As the math concepts are introduced, many lessons reinforce language
development. Not only will your child be able to manipulate objects, he/she
will learn to explain their thinking.
Patterns 1. Auditory Patterns - Make a pattern by making a noise with your mouth or
hands. Encourage your child to copy the pattern you made. Here are
some examples you can try:
a. Clap, snap, clap, snap, clap, snap
b. Slap your knees, click your tongue, slap your knees, click your
tongue
c. Moo like a cow, snap, moo like a cow, snap
When your child is comfortable making the patterns, start a pattern and ask
your child to finish the pattern. This is called extending the pattern.
Try this:
You say �moo, baa, moo, baa� then ask your child to continue the
pattern three or four more times.
2. Motor Patterns � Both of you can make patterns with body movement. Make
a pattern by moving parts of your body. Encourage your child to copy the
pattern you made. Here are some examples you can try:
a. stamp your foot, raise your arm, stamp your foot, raise your arm,
stamp your foot,
b. touch your shoulders, kick, touch your shoulders, kick
c. tap your head, hop, tap your head, hop
When your child is comfortable making the patterns, start a pattern and ask
your child to finish the pattern.
3. Visual Patterns in the Environment � Begin by point out patterns in your
child�s world. Explain to your child that what makes a pattern is that it
repeats over and over again. Patterns in your household may include a
stripe or pattern in clothing, fabric patterns in curtains or upholstery and
designs on household items like windows or dinnerware.
Number Sense 1. Find the Number - Give your child cereal boxes, newspapers, cans, or
advertising ads. Find a number that is easily recognizable to your child.
Call out the number and encourage your child to find the number on the
object.
2. Number Hunt - Before you leave to go on a trip, write numbers 1-10
on a piece of paper with spaces between the numbers. Tell your
child to look for the numbers on road signs, and license plates.
When your child finds the number, tell your child to circle the number.
You can make copies of the numbers and encourage all the members of your
family do the search.
3. If you have magnetic letters and numerals, have your child sort them to
separate the letters from numbers. This will help the child discriminate
between letters and numerals.
Counting Sets and Making Sets First of all, make collections of things that your child can use to practice
counting. These things might include pennies or buttons. Keep these things
in a jar near your child�s work area. Use math vocabulary when playing with
your child such as more (�I need two more blocks�), less (�I need 2 less
than this number of blocks�), etc.
1. Cheerios Counting - Use 10 index cards or pieces of paper to make
counting cards. Draw one dot on one card, two dots on the next card, and
continue until you have a card with ten dots. Show the card to your child
and ask your child to count the dots in his/her head. Ask your child to
tell you how many dots there are as fast as he/she can. Put the cards on the
table and have a bowl of cereal, like Cheerios, on the table. Give your
child a card. Instruct your child to cover the dots with Cheerios as he/she
counts the cereal.
2. Count Together-when you are out in the car, play this game: take turns
counting, you go first, say �1�, your child says, �2�, you go next, and see
how high you can count together. Make note of how high you counted. Your
child could count the napkins/forks/spoons that need to be put on the table
for dinner, count the stairs as you walk, or count the steps you take to get
to different rooms of the house.
3. Counting On- You start counting and stop at a number before you get to
10. See if they can count on from that number.
4. Counting Back-Pick a number and count back from that number to 0.
5. Mountain Clapping and Counting- start down low like you are climbing a
mountain. Say a number, get a little taller for each number until you are
standing up all the way up, then start backwards as you get down slowly
until you get to zero.
6. Tower Tumble - Build a tower with your child by taking turns placing the
block on the tower. Count the blocks as they are put on the tower. Keep
building until the tower falls. See how high you can count/build.
7. Domino Flash - Show your child a domino and cover one side of the
domino. Tell your child to look at the dots and count the dots by using
his/her finger. Once your child is able to recognize the dots up to six,
uncover the other side. Show your child both sides of the domino. Ask
your child to count one side of the dots. Write down the number for the
first side that your child counts. Do the same thing with the other
side. Tell your child to count all the dots. Write down the number of
total dots. Show them how you can add the numbers together, when your
child is ready for this step.
8. Grab-Bag Counting - Put small blocks or small toys (You need items that
are small enough so that your child will be able to grab three to seven
objects in his/her hand at a time.) in a brown bag. Tell your child to
reach into the bag and grab some toys. Your child will then put the toys
on the floor or table and tell your child to count the objects. Continue
the activity until all the objects are out of the bag. An alternative to
the activity is to tell your child to return the toys in the bag after
he/she counts the toys.
9. Using Playing Cards - Give your child a deck of cards (take out the ace,
joker, jack, queen, and king.) Show your child how to sort the cards by
color, suit, or number. Show your child a card and tell your child to
count the shapes (spades, etc.) on the card.
Recognizing Shapes 1. Go on shape scavenger hunt, see how many different shapes your child can
find around the house.
2. Shape Pictures- Cut out some shapes from construction paper. Then play
this game: Put the shapes on the floor. Say a shape and encourage your
child to hop or walk to the triangle, square, circle, rectangle, etc. Get a
large piece of paper and see if your child can move the shapes around and
create a picture or design.
3. Walk the Shape - Use masking tape or sidewalk chalk to make a large
outline of a triangle, square, rectangle, or circle on the floor, driveway,
or sidewalk.
Encourage your child to follow the outline while hopping, walking, or
crawling. Look for the shapes around the house. Show your child how to
make a triangle, square, and rectangle with craft sticks and a circle
with string or yarn.
4. The Shape of Food - Buy chips or crackers that are in shapes of circles,
rectangles, triangles, or squares. You can also make cookies or cut
sandwiches into the above mentioned shapes. Pick out the circle and
show the circle to your child. Tell your child that the circle is
round. Show your child that the triangle has three sides. Show your
child that the square has four equal sides. Show your child that the
rectangle has four sides and that two sides are different from the other
sides. When we teach shapes in school, we describe shapes by number of
sides and corners and those made with straight lines or round edges.
Sorting We try to teach the children to observe sameness in order to sort objects
(color, shape, size), things that make objects the same and different.
1. Sort It Out - While doing laundry, encourage your child to help you find
pairs of socks that match. It helps the child if the socks are
different each other by color or design. Your child could also sort clothes
by making piles of shirts, pants and socks.
2. Wardrobe Check- tell your child to sort things in their closet such as
shoes which tie and do not tie or shirts with patterns, or those that are
solid colors.
3. Muffin Tin Sorting - Put a muffin tin on the table and a container of
coins, buttons, or small paper shapes. Try sorting the coins into the
different compartments, then try buttons: those that have different colors,
shapes, numbers of holes, etc.
Same and Different 1. One of These Things is Not Like the Other! - Give your child several
pairs of canned food that have pictures on the cans or boxes. Encourage
your child to find cans or boxes that are the same. Give your child two
cans and ask if the cans are the same or different. Talk about how things
are the same different.
2. Match that Shoe - Collect five pairs of shoes. Put one of the pair of
shoes in the middle of the floor and hide the other one in the same
room. Encourage your child to look at the pile of shoes in the middle of
the floor. Tell your child to find the missing shoe for each pair and match
the shoes.
Measurement Use comparison terms such as: heavy/light; long/short; more/less;
big/little, tall/ short, etc.
1. Size It Up - Give your child three different size toys, boxes, or
shirts. Ask your child to place them in order from big to small.
2. Comparing Objects-play a game where you make a collection of items,
sit across from your child, they pick up an item from the pile, you take
one, then ask, �Which on is big (little), heavy (light) long (short). This
is also a good way to practice opposites.
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