Teaching Math to Young Children

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By Kristin Stanberry
​By nature, children are curious about math.  Math becomes real to young children as they use it, by talking, by reasoning, by playing and by doing.  There is no set sequence of acquiring math skills.  Parents can teach math through common everyday activities.  Beginning math skills for young children break down into five classifications:
  • Number sense - counting, counting objects, numeral recognition, understanding that numeral represent objects, which set has a greater number of objects or which set has a smaller number of objects.
  • Geometry - patterns and shapes.  Each have unique features.
  • Measurement - size, distance and amount
  • Language of math - more than, less than equal to, half, mile, inch, gallon, first, second
  • Spatial relations - in front, behind, near or far
Math Aspect
Games and Activities
​Number sense
​Count food items at snack time (e.g., 5 crackers, 20 raisins, 10 baby carrots).
​Use a calendar to count down the days to a birthday or special holiday. Help your child see the connection between a numeral like "5," the word "five," and five days on the calendar.
​Practice simple addition and subtraction using small toys and blocks.
​Geometry
Play simple board games where your child moves a game piece from one position to the next.
Have your child name the shapes of cookie cutters or blocks.
​Arrange cookie cutters in patterns on a cookie sheet or placemat. A simple pattern might be: star, circle, star, circle.
Measurement
​Let your child help you measure ingredients for a simple recipe - preferably a favorite.
​Measure your child's height every month or so, showing how you use a yardstick or tape measure. Mark his or her height on a "growth chart" or a mark on a door frame. Do the same with any siblings. Help your child compare his or her own height to previous months and also to his or her siblings' heights.
Math language
Talk through games and daily activities that involve math concepts.
​Have your child name numbers and shapes.
Help him or her understand and express comparisons like more than/less than, bigger/smaller, and near/far.
Spatial relations
Play games where you direct your child to jump forward and back, to run far from you or stay nearby.
Use songs with corresponding movements to teach concepts like in and out, up and down, and round and round.
Math is a skill that your child will use every day of his/her life.  Giving your child a solid foundation in early math skills is critical for academic success.  Taking math out of isolation makes math have value and makes it useful in the real world.
Book Corner
Number Sense: The Black Dots by Donald Crews
                            Chicka Chicka Boom Boom 1, 2, 3  by Bill Martin and John Archambault
                            The  Doorbell Rang  by Pat Hutchinson
                            Mouse Count  by Ellen Stoll Walsh
Geometry:         The Shape of Things  by Dayle Ann Dodds
                           Perfect Square  by Michael Hall
                           Skippy Jon Jones Shape Up  by Judy Schachner
                            Circles  by David A. Alder
Measurement:  Inch by Inch  by Leo Lani
                           How Tall, How Short, How Far Away  by David A. Alder
                           Is it Large?  Is it Smaller?   by Tana Hoban