Making Math Fun for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Toddlers and preschoolers are little sponges, soaking up information without much effort. They don't need formal education to learn concepts like language and early math, but rather will pick it up naturally when the opportunity arises. From counting produce at the grocery store to reading fun books with math themes (yes, fun math books DO exist!) to playing board games like Chutes and Ladders to practice counting while moving around the game board, there are a ton of ways to playfully introduce early math concepts to young children that do not include worksheets, memorizing flashcards, or long lessons that end up frustrating both parent and child. Elliot has been playfully learning early math concepts this past year. He is a few months shy of three-years old and didn't need any type of intentional math time, but since it was part of our Gentle + Classical Preschool curriculum, I looked into how to introduce it in a way that was fun. These early years are not about benchmarks and criteria to reach at a certain age. The pressure is off until they reach kindergarten, so it's best to keep expectations low, make math activities playful, and see it as an opportunity to foster curiosity of the math foundations in an appealing way that they'll build upon in later years. I would love to share how I did this with Elliot throughout the last year. 

As mentioned above, I used the structure and content of The Gentle + Classical Preschool curriculum (see my review HERE) to guide the play-focused activities we did together, including early math concepts. Erin, the creator of this great curriculum,  recommended Kate Snow's book, Preschool Math at Home, which was the backbone to the math portion of The Gentle + Classical Preschool curriculum. I read the book and loved her gentle and playful approach to introducing math concepts like counting to ten, recognizing written numerals, subtilizing (recognizing small quantities quickly without needing to actually count them), and comparison concepts such as more and less (see my review of her book HERE). I followed the order she recommends in her book, which coincided with the second and third terms of the preschool curriculum. I took my time with each concept, taking as long as we needed to grasp rather than rush through each step. Snow includes a plethora of fun, easy, quick games using typical household items to practice each math concept she introduced. From tea parties with teddy bears to playing store with coins to counting cars in different arrangements, all of the games were great. I highly recommend her book, which is an easy, quick read for parents of toddlers and preschoolers that are interested in making math playful at this stage.  I will share some of the games we played from the book below. 

Math -- from counting to color and shape recognition and sizing differentiation -- doesn't have to feel like a slog at this age. It should be fun and inviting. It really helps me to remember something Erin (from Gentle + Classical Preschool) says: At this age, it's all about EXPOSURE, not MASTERY. Don't have lofty goals for your child to count to twenty by the age of 3, but rather, focus on introducing math concepts, trusting that they'll have years to master them before their are graded for it. This takes off the pressure of you, the parent as well as the child. And, as in my case, you just might be surprised how much they'll want to learn! 

Along with using the guidance of Kate Snow's book, Preschool Math at Home, I used various other resources, mostly found on Pinterest, to include math activities that matched weekly themes that were anchored to the book of the week. I will share some of our favorites below. In addition, I will include some toys that we have used and loved for our math time. I am not being paid to praise these products; they are just awesome products we used a lot and I want others to know about them. Lastly, do not feel you need to do all of these! These activities were used in the span of around ten months; some were repeated and some were not. If any of these sound doable and fun, great! But please don't feel like this list is a measuring stick or to-do list. It's just a collection of math activities I prepared for Elliot and he loved, so I wanted to share them in case they can foster a love for math for other toddlers and preschoolers like I believe they have for my son. 

Playful Math Activities:

Counting Bears

These are very open-ended and versatile for a wide range of ages. THIS is the set we have.  Elliot started using them around age two in simple ways (mostly color sorting) and then when he turned 2.5, we started playing some of the "board" games included in the set (thick laminated sheets that included illustrations of alternating bears to help with pattern recognition and different counting games, one of which is a simpler version of Chutes and Ladders). The counting bears come in three different sizes and six different colors, so they can be used for a variety of activities for working on counting, size, and colors. There are six cups in matching colors to the bears for color sorting as well as two die (one with numbers and one with colors) for some of the games. Lastly, there are thick tweezers to help with fine-motor practice (for picking up the bears). We have used most of the games and suggestions, but have also made up our own games, like racing with from one side of the room while balancing a bear on a spoon and dumping it into the matching colored cup.  We will use them in the coming year as we work on addition and subtraction. I am sure there will be even more ways to use them in the future as new math concepts are introduced. 

Matching written numerals to manipulatives

One way to help young children see the way numbers work is to actually touch and feel objects as they count them. This makes the often abstract concepts of math become more concrete. You can easily find free printable numeral flashcards online to print on heavy cardstock. Or just write down 1-10 on ten different flashcards. Or, if you already have a stack of number flashcards, use those if they aren't too busy with illustrations. THIS is the set I found online for free. I love them because they have corresponding dots on each card. Then gather some small items (called manipulatives/ loose parts in the Montessori world). This can be anything (safe) from around your house. I have a bag filled with different items we use for counting, which includes Dollar Tree rocks and colorful craft/flat marbles, seashells and pine cones collected during previous vacations, pennies, beads, and  buttons. The possibilities are endless, but be conscious of whether your child still likes to put small items in their mouth (or ears or nose) before choosing these manipulatives. Then, you can introduce one number card at a time and work together to match the number with items. If you print off the cards I linked above, then your child can place their item/manipulative on top of the dot, which  makes the concept incredibly concrete for their growing brain. As your child becomes more familiar with matching the card to the items, then you can try placing all ten cards on the table or floor and have them work on each of them at their own pace. This can be overwhelming if done too early, so follow your child's lead if this interests them. You can match numeral puzzle pieces to items as well, as I did with a puzzle I will link later on. 

Counting beads

There are expensive versions of the classic Montessori stacking bead sets found all over the internet, but I opted to make my own free version with crafts I already had at home. I used pipe cleaners and beads to make ten different counting beads, from 1-10, each a different color.  We match them with a number card. Elliot loves doing this on his own. This is self-correcting since the child can easily see if they placed the wrong counting bead on a number since they won't be able to use it later on. 

Counting snacks

Once in a while, I will place five pieces of a small snack, like berries or grapes or marshmallows in my palm, count them with Elliot, then have him take one at a time, counting after each piece is eaten to count the new number. This is an early introduction to subtraction, but when you play this with a yummy snack, it's fun and doesn't feel like math at all.  We've also done this with gummy bears and a paper plate, with segments for each bear.

Role-playing games or stories

These two ideas are from Kate Snow's Preschool Math at Home: 1)  have a tea party with stuffed animals or dolls, placing a plate or cup in front of each one, counting as you do.  You can bring one toy to the table at a time and count as the toys are added to the table.If you want to place a snack or play food inside the cup or plate, you can count that too. This can last as long as your imagination will take you. Create a story about the five toys having a tea party,  counting occasionally as you play, but not ad nauseum.   2)  play store with pennies. Elliot loves this. I tell him to shop around the room we are in and I tell him how much certain items in the room cost. I don't set anything up; I literally just look around and mention a book or toy near us. I give him ten pennies and then have him count out the pennies needed to purchase his desired item, noting how many pennies he has left to shop. You can create props for this if you want, but really, it will work without anything more than ten pennies and random stuff around your house. During our apple-themed week, I would make up a silly story about farm animals climbing the ladder to pick apples (buttons) and place them on the correct numeral cards. Elliot loves stories and pretend play, so this was really fun for him. 

Pattern Blocks

We have THIS set and have been using them a lot since Elliot turned 2.5. They require some fine-motor finesse since they shift around easily when trying to place other blocks in the appropriate spot, but that's the beauty of them since they help the child learn to move carefully and slowly. They are a great intro to geometry (though you'd never tell a toddler that!) because of the various shapes in the set and the various designs you can either match up with the wooden cards that are included in the set, or the many free printables you can find online. 

Counting Shape Stacker puzzle

We received  one like THIS for his second birthday, with numbers, rings for stacking, and shapes. It seemed a little overwhelming at first, so until Elliot was 2.5 years old, I removed the rings (since I figured he'd just scatter them), but now he independently can do the entire puzzle and enjoys counting each stack, noticing that the colors of the rings coordinate with the numerals, which helps him self-correct. Be aware of the rings being small, so if your toddler puts things in their mouth, this is not a good toy right now. 

Measuring with blocks

The concept of measurement can be introduced playfully with blocks, magna-tiles, legos, or any other toy with fixed size. While reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar recently, Elliot and I measured his caterpillar  toys and compared their size (in blocks), which helped us decide which was the longest and shortest. 

Counting with Art

Last December, I found a free printable of a wintry landscape with numbers at the bottom. I printed it off on thick yardstick and trimmed each dotted line to create strips of paper that, when the numbers were placed in order, would re-create the artwork. Elliot enjoyed this, so I have made my own, printing off other images and using a marker to write down the numbers from 1 to 10, which help him put it in order on his own. Having an extra copy (not cut) also helps, but is not essential. 

Sequencing

Children can learn sequencing, or putting things in the correct order, from an early stage. While reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar one week, I found a free printable for the caterpillar life cycle, which we discussed and then put in order as we read the book. Using words like "first", "then", and "last" helps with this the executive functioning skill that gets explored in later math levels.

Color-matching with construction paper and toys 

During our train-themed week, I cut out a train engine and glued circles on the construction sheets of various colors, creating a train. Then I collected various toys in a basket and had Elliot sort them out in the right train car. You don't need to go this far; good old construction paper without embellishments works just fine. But if your child is really into a specific toy or theme, it may be a fun way to engage them. Another week, I printed off a large rainbow graphic and had him match his wooden food to the colors, which he also enjoyed.

Comparing sizes 

There are so many different ways to help toddlers and preschoolers learn to compare sizes and use words like "largest" and "smallest". Whenever we read Goldilocks and the Three Bears, we set up his plastic bowls in front of the bears, which helps me differentiate sizes. During our apple-themed week, we "graphed" the different colors of apples in our fruit basket to decide what color of apples we had the most of. 

Our Favorite Books about Math

Mouse Count, Mouse Shapes, and Mouse Paint (all by Ellen Still Walsh ). These three books are favorites of Elliot's! Simple text with a fun plot that includes early math concepts. In Mouse Count, a snake is collecting mice in a jar to eat, but don't worry, they escape and "un-count" themselves out of the jar, counting down from ten to one. In Mouse Shapes, three mice hide from a cat in a pile of shapes, then discover different things they can create from shapes, like a house, tree, and even large mice to scare away the cat. And in Mouse Paint, three mice explore primary and secondary colors by painting and mixing colors. 

Race Car Count (Rebecca Kai Dotlich): Great for any young child that loves race cars. I really think this is the book that helped Elliot count to ten. He was obsessed with it and found it funny and engaging. 

Duck books about counting: Peep Leap (Elizabeth Verdick), Ducks Away (Men Fox), Little Quack (Lauren Thompson), and Five Little Ducks (Denise Fleming OR Raffi versions). These fun books are all about counting down (some from ten to one and others from five to one). 

"Over in the ..." books: The classical and original, Over in the Meadow (rhyme by Olive Wadsworth, illustrated by Anna Vojtech) is our favorite from this group. We love singing it as we read this beautifully illustrated book about woodland animals, from one to ten. Over in the Coral Reef (Marianne Berkes) explores ten different ocean animals while Over in the Arctic (also Marianne Berkes)  obviously names arctic animals. The illustrations in these books are very creative and unique.

Feast for 10 (Cathryn Falwell): A fun, wholesome story about a family preparing for a family dinner as they count the food needed for their meal.

Ten Play Hide-and-Seek (Penny Dale): A child and his stuffed animals are each found, counting down from ten to one.

Ten Black Dots (Donald Crew): A simple yet creative way to practice counting with the black dots from one to ten, disguised as jacket buttons, pennies, and eyes on a fox. 

A Number of Animals (Christopher Wormell): From one to ten, a little chick asks different farm animals if they've seen her mama. 

Ten Nine Eight (Molly Bang): A child prepares for bed and counts down different things along the way.

123 Look at Me (Roberta Grobel Intrater): A fun, lift-the-flap board book with hidden photographs of babies showing different emotions and playing with toys, using the numbers 1-10.  Great for babies and toddlers.

123 to the Zoo (Eric Carle): In his iconic illustration style, Eric Carle uses bright colors and shapes to show animals on a train, heading to the zoo. 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle): The classic teaches about counting to five with yummy food, as well as the days of the week. 

So Many Bunnies: A Bedtime ABC and Counting Book (Rick Walton): A spin on a the nursery rhyme about the old lady who lived in a show. This version is delightful, with 26 bunnies each named after a letter of the alphabet. 

Bears on Wheels (Stan and Jan Bernstein): This silly book shows bears balancing on bikes from zero to ten. 

Brown Rabbit's Shape Book (Alan Baker): A cute story about a rabbit who receives a gift. Shapes are mentioned (triangles on the wrapping paper covering a square box, a circle on top of a tube, and five differently-shaped balloons). 

One-Spotted Giraffe: A Counting Pop-Up Book (Petr Horacek): A fun pop-up book with animals

Ten Little Ladybugs (Melanie Gerth): A fun book with bumpy ladybugs to touch while counting down from 10 to 1 as each ladybug is taken away by an animal like a bird, caterpillar, butterfly, or fish.