6 Fun, Preschool Math Activities
6 Fun, Preschool Math Activities
Math doesn’t have to be intimidating. In fact, it can actually be fun, and these six activities can help you introduce your child to many different concepts including counting, sorting, patterns, and geometric shapes. Ready to get started? Enlist the help of food, stuffed animals, socks, and more.
1. Count with food.
Snack time, dinner time, lunch-prep time — any time works for counting food! Ask your child to put five baby carrots and five apple slices on a plate for snack. Have your child add three meatballs to each family member’s dinner plate of spaghetti. And when it’s time to get tomorrow’s lunch ready, take out two containers or bags and ask your child to put two graham crackers in one, and eight cubes of cheese in the other.
2. Sort stuffed animals into groups.
What do Bob the bear and Harry the horse have in common? They’re both brown! Help your child sort stuffed animals into different groups. First, sort by color. Then, encourage your child to think about where different animals live in the wild, and sort by habitat. You can also sort by number of legs, size, tail vs. no tail, pointy ears vs. floppy ears, and more.
3. Create patterns.
Use colored blocks, plastic bears, or other small items to introduce your child to the concept of patterns. Have your child make a pile of red blocks while you make a pile of yellow. Then, lay a yellow one down on the table, ask your child to follow with red, and repeat. Explain the yellow, red, yellow, red sequence to your child and switch it up with other colors. Once you’ve got the basics down, you can move on to something a little harder, such as yellow, yellow, red, yellow, yellow, red.
4. Match socks.
Do you dread the laundry-day sock pile? Ask your child to help you find each sock’s match. If you need to simplify it, start by dividing the socks into smaller piles based on who wears them. As your child goes through each pile, there might be four blue socks that look pretty similar or a slew of black socks with barely-noticeable differences. Point out the polka dots on a blue sock or draw attention to the grey stripes on a black sock…and ask your child to find the ones that match. 
5. Go on a shape hunt around the house and outside.
Work with your child to draw a circle, oval, square, rectangle, triangle, diamond, star, and heart on a sheet of paper. Then, walk around your house, the backyard, the neighborhood, or a nearby park and look for these shapes in different rooms, on street signs, on houses and buildings, and in nature — and make sure to name each shape as you go.
6. Use measuring cups and spoons in the kitchen.
On your mark, get set, bake! Not only is cooking fun, it’s educational and usually results in something delicious. Start with a simple recipe, such as bread, pizza dough, cookies, or soup. Read the recipe out loud and talk about the different measurements. When it’s time to add one cup of flour or one teaspoon of salt, help your child pick out the right measuring cup and spoon and fill them up.
Whether you want to build on a concept your child is learning in preschool, your child has started asking about different shapes, or you simply need interesting ideas you can turn to during downtime, take advantage of these math activities you can do at home.
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The Nerves…
for appropriate clothes. For lunch time we now needed a lunchbox with ice packs. There was something about a one-year-old with a lunchbox that made me feel like we were sending him off to college.
Brains On
discoveries. For example, the 
Fun Kids Science Weekly
Many New Year’s resolutions focus on developing healthy habits. Here’s one that is important to make and keep: provide a regular diet of books and reading for your preschooler.
be a part of ensuring your preschooler gets 20 minutes of being read to each day.
It’s easy for children to be smitten with the magic of the holidays. Fun presents. Extra sweets. A vacation from school—there’s a lot to like. But with the freedom and excess of the season, sometimes kids can get a little carried away. For most families, there will be a point when the kids get overtired and cranky, or greedy about presents. Or would rather play a video game than talk to Grandma. Here are some tips to keep kids happy and ready to enjoy whatever the season brings.
giving presents can be just as rewarding as getting them. We shouldn’t wait to teach that lesson to our children. Even when kids are too young to buy a present, they can still make one. Or help you pick out something. Some of my best holiday memories are of helping my father look for the perfect gift for Mom. Also, combing the mall to look for presents with my siblings as we got older.
At family gatherings when they notice the kids are “getting antsy,” psychologist Rachel Busman says she and her sister did the following. They would give them their baths, get them into pajamas, and turn on a movie. “We know when they need to wind down, we won’t be judged for excusing ourselves from the table to do these things,” she says.
During the preschool years, many young children will be able to recite or sing the alphabet. They may begin to recognize familiar letters, especially letters in their own names. Children who have been read to frequently pretend to read books to themselves or to their toy dolls and animals. They use their own words or phrases from the story. 
The early years are critical to developing a lifelong love of reading – you can’t start reading to a child too soon!
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TIP 1: DON’T RUSH THROUGH THE MORNING.
Just remember, it’s common for kids to have a difficult time separating, however chances are she’ll be fine five minutes after you walk out the door. If it’s taking a while for your little one to adjust, don’t panic – our preschool teachers and their assistants have seen it all and they know just what to do, so ask his teacher for help. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at pickup seeing your child very happy and busy!
Did you know that there are many summer camp benefits preschoolers can achieve? Many Programs take children as young as 3 years old – and while this might sound too young, there are some pros to consider, especially if your child will be entering preschool or kindergarten in the fall.
learning group rules, taking responsibility for their belongings (backpack and lunchbox), and getting along with other children in a group setting.
