early math activities

Supporting Early Mathin Natural Environments

• Activities for Caregivers and Young Children• By Angela Notari Syverson, Ph.D.• Washington Research Institute, Seattle, WA

Supporting Early Literacy and Math n Natural Environments, A project funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education ProgramsFor more information contact anotari@wri-edu.org © 2006, Washington Research Institute, Seattle, Washington

List of Early Math Activities

• Where Is?• Learning About

Shapes• Exploring Patterns• Making Maps

• How Big?• Sorting• Numbers Are

Everywhere• How Many?• More with Numbers• Measuring Things

What are these activities?

• These activities are for parents to help theirchildren develop early math skills.

• These activities teach three main concepts:numbers and operations, geometry, andmeasurement.

• Parents can use the activities during playand daily routines.

What is Early Math?

• Math is about using numbers to count andmeasure things and to describe the shapes ofobjects.

• Numbers and operations are used for counting,adding and subtracting.

• Geometry is about shapes of objects and theirpositions in space.

• Measurement is used to identify and comparesizes, lengths and weights of objects.

How Do I Help My Child LearnAbout Math?

• Math is everywhere.• You can help your child learn about math during

everyday activities such as: lunch, cooking,cleaning up, putting way groceries, taking a walk,or driving in the car.

• There are many ways to help your child learnmath. Try some of these activities and find outwhat your child likes best!

How Does My Child LearnAbout Numbers?

• Your child learns about numbers and operations whenhe/she:

• Helps set the table and passes out one glass for eachperson;

• Counts how many cookies are on the plate;• Counts how many are left after he/she eats one;• Sorts things into groups and uses numbers describe how

many objects are in a group.

How Does My Child LearnAbout Shapes and Space?

• Your child learns about shapes of objects and theirpositions in space when he/she:

• Knows how to explain where things are in space;• Talks about shapes of different things he/she sees on a trip

to the grocery store;• Builds things with blocks, sand or sticks;• Draws pictures.

How Does My Child LearnAbout Measurement?

• Your child learns to identify and compare sizes, lengthsand weights of objects when he/she:

• Fills one cup with flour and two cups with milk;• Checks on how tall he/she has grown in the past three

months;• Says there are more raisins in the bowl than on his/her

plate.

Where Is ---?Encourage your child to move around at

home and outside. Let your child:• Climb in and out of boxes, go on,

under, over or around furniture andother things.

• Talk about what your child is doing(You climbed on the couch; You gotinside the car).

• Talk about the location of things yourchild is interested in (The duck is in thepond).

• Ask your child to tell you where peopleand things are (Where is Grandma?)

Activity

Where Is ---?To help your child succeed, you can:• Play games (e.g., Horsie) where you

move your child and describe themovements (Up, Down).

• Sing songs together that describewhere things are and how thingsmove (e.g., The wheels on the bus goup and down).

• Move together in and out, on top ofand under objects. Talk about whereyou are (We are under the tree).

To make this activity more challenging,you can:

• Ask your child to put things in places(Put your coat on the bed; Put theblocks in the box).

• Use more difficult words like between,next to, in front of, behind, in themiddle.

• Hide something and give your childhints on where to find it (It's behind ared box).

• Look at pictures and talk with yourchild about where things are (Spot ishiding under the blanket).

• Look at pictures and ask your child totell you where things are (Where isthe fish?)

Learning about ShapesWe see shapes all around us.• Talk about shapes of things you

see with your child: street signs,animals, toys; food (A pizzalooks like a circle).

• Encourage your child to drawand make things (drawings,collages, cookies, playdohfigures) and talk about theirshapes.

Activity

Learning about ShapesTo help your child succeed,

you can:• Encourage your child to

touch objects and trace theoutline of shapes with theirfingers.

• Have your child matchthings by shape (a square lidon a square container).

To make this activity morechallenging, you can:

• Have your child sort things byshape (Let’s put all the squarecookies on the red plate and allthe round cookies on the blueplate).

• Talk about features of differentshapes (e.g., straight lines, curves,corners, points).

• Look at things from differentperspectives and talk about howthe shape of an objects remainsthe same even if it might lookdifferent.

Exploring PatternsDescribing patterns helps your child learn

about order, sequences and repetition.Talk about patterns in colors, shapes,sounds, actions and time.

• Point out patterns of color you see onclothes, rugs and animals (The bumblebee has yellow and black stripes).

• Encourage your child to play and movealong with music. Describe patterns ofsounds you hear in songs and music.

• Talk about patterns in daily routines(We wake up in the morning and go tosleep at night).

Activity

Exploring PatternsTo help your child succeed, you

can:• Repeat patterns of body

movements (Up - down; Jump,jump, clap).

• Have your child make music.Describe what he/she is doing(Shake, shake. You made yourown music.).

• Sing songs with sequences ofmovements (Heads, shoulders,knees and toes).

• Help your child use a model tomake something (e.g., beadnecklace, block construction).Talk about the patterns (e.g., Thisnecklace has 3 yellow beads, twored beads).

• Help your child describe differentpatterns (It’s triangle, circle,triangle, circle, triangle).

• Talk about patterns in thecalendar (days in the week;months in a year).

Making maps• Help your child make a

map of his/her favoriteroom in the house.

• Label the things on themap like table and chairs.

• Talk about what yourchild and you do withthese things.

• Help your child makemaps of other favoriteplaces.

Activity

Making mapsTo help your child succeed, you can:• Use butcher paper and big markers.• Use small toys, photographs, or

draw the furniture onPost-it notes and have your childput them on the map.

• Walk around the room with yourchild and draw things as you go by.

• Encourage your child to make themap him/herself.

• Encourage your child to labelthings him/herself.

• Help your child make a map ofhow to get to familiar places (e.g.,from home to school).

• Have your child explain his/hermap to you.

• Go for a short walk or drive.Take photographs of familiarlandmarks you go by. Help yourchild make a map by sequencingthe landmarks.

How Big?Things have different sizes and

weights.• Talk with your child about

things that are big (tree), little(ladybug), heavy(bag full ofgroceries) or light (flower).

• Give your child two objects ofdifferent sizes (e.g., banana andcheerio) and weights (e.g.,feather and melon). Ask themyour child to tell you whetherthe object is big or little, heavyor light.

Activity

How Big?To help your child succeed, you

can:• Stand close to your child and

compare sizes (You are little. Iam big).

• Play games where you and yourchild can curl up small andstretch up tall.

• Take turns at lifting each other.Explain that your child is lightand that you are heavy.

• Have your child fit containers(e.g., plastic bowls) of differentsizes inside each other.

• Give your child objects ofdifferent sizes or weights. Askyour child to put them in orderfrom little to big or from light toheavy.

• Help your child measure andweigh things.

Sorting• Encourage your child to put things in

different piles (e.g., letters andmagazines when sorting mail) orcontainers (white clothes in one basketand colored clothes in a other whendoing laundry).

• Have your child look for one type ofthing in pictures (Find things that arered).

• Make a scrapbook about somethingyour child is interested in (e.g.,animals). Have one page for each typeof animal (e.g., dogs, cats, horses,alligators). Help your child pastepictures of animals on the right page.

Activity

SortingTo help your child succeed, you

can:• Have your child put together one

set of things (e.g., groceries in abag, coins in a wallet, toy cars ina garage).

• Have your child match things(See this black pebble. Can youfind another one?).

• Have your child put togetherthings that come in pairs (socks,shoes).

• Talk about why objects belongtogether (These are all blue andthese are all green).

• Help your child make groups ofthings (cherries and strawberries)that belong to a same biggergroup (fruit). Help your childunderstand that each small groupis part of the big group (Cherriesand strawberries are both fruit).Ask your child if there are morefruit than cherries; or morecherries than fruit.

Numbers Are EverywhereNumbers are everywhere - on buses,

houses price tags, license plates,clocks, books, songs.

• Ask your child to look for numbers.• Look at books about numbers.• Help your child learn the names of

numbers.• Talk about the different things

people use numbers for - likefinding the right house or bus,knowing how much things cost orwhat the time is.

Activity

Numbers Are EverywhereTo help your child succeed, you

can:• Point to a number and say it's

name.• Start with one. Have several

things and ask your child to giveyou one and only one thing.

• Give your child plastic numbersto play with.

• Sing counting songs (One, Two,Buckle My Shoe).

• Help your child use numbers tocount and measure how long, talland heavy different things are.

• Help your child use numbers tofind a house or a bus.

• Help your child use numbers totell the time or to buy things.

How Many?

Help your child learn how to count.

• Explain that counting lets usknow how many things there arein a group.

• Count real things your child isinterested in.

• Have your child match small setsof objects (Put one cookie on eachplate).

• Sing counting songs together.• Look at counting books.

Activity

How Many?

To help your child succeed, youcan:

• Use small numbers of objects upto 3.

• Have your child match pairs ofobjects (e.g., shoes, socks).

• Point to each object as you sayeach number name

• Use fingers to count.

• Help your child count withoutskipping numbers or countingsomething twice.

• Help your child understand thatthe highest number tells howmany objects there are. (Yes, youcounted one, two, three apples.That means there are three applesin the bag).

• Play board games where you andyour child have to count.

More With Numbers• Help your child understand that

numbers go in order from little tobig. Numbers that come first aresmaller than numbers that comelater.

• Have your child compare groups ofobjects and ask: Which has more?Which has less?

• Have your child make two stacks orrows of things (a stack of eightyellow blocks and a stack of threered blocks; a row of five cups and arow of two spoons). Talk aboutwhich stack or row has more andwhich has less.

Activity

More With NumbersTo help your child succeed,

you can:• Have two sets of objects where it is

easy to see the difference (twoversus ten).

• Ask your child whether two thingsare more than one.

• Sing songs (Five Little Monkeys)and look at books where numbersincrease or decrease (The VeryHungry Caterpillar). Explain thatadding something makes anumber bigger and taking awaymakes the number smaller.

• Give your child two or threethings (3 crackers on a plate). Addone or two more and ask if nowthere are more, less or the same.Take away one or two things andask if now there are more, less orthe same.

Measuring thingsHelp your child measure things and

write down the measurements. Forexample:

• Your child’s height, hands and feet.• Your child’s favorite toys.• Your child’s favorite book.• Your child’s cup and dish.You can measure with a tape measure,

stacking blocks, or using yourhands or feet.

Activity

Measuring thingsTo help your child succeed, you

can:• Measure one or two things at

a time.• Let your child choose what

to measure.• Use a tape measure with big

numbers.• Write down the

measurements yourself.

• Have your child try to read thetape measure him/herself.

• Have your child try to writedown the measurementshim/herself.

• Use words such as bigger andsmaller (Your feet are biggerthan your hands).

• Talk about how a number isdifferent from a letter.

Caregiver Checklists

• Child behaviors• Caregiver strategies

Where Is ---?

What did your child do? My child:q Made sounds and gestures (e.g., up and own)along

with song or games.q Understood up and down, in and out.q Understood other spatial concepts (e.g, on, under,

next, between, middle, under, behind, in front of).

What did you do?

q I helped my child move in songs and games

q I described where my child was.

q I asked my child to tell me where people andthings were.

q I asked my child to put things in certainplaces.

Activities for Caregivers and Children

Anything else? __________________________ Anything else? _________________________

______________________________________ _____________________________________

Your ideas for making this activity better for your child ____________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Your child’s name ____________________________ Your name ____________________________

Date you and your child did this activity _______________________________

Learning About Shapes

What did your child do? My child:q Explored objects with different shapes.q Matched things with a same shape.q Said names of the shape of objects.q Sorted things by shape

What did you do?

q I gave my child objects with different shapes.

q I talked about the shape of different objects.

q I asked my child to tell me the shape of thingshe/she was interested in.

q I asked my child to match and/or sort objectsby shape.

______________________________________ _____________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Exploring Patterns

What did your child do? My child:

q Showed interest in colors and patterns.q Participated in songs and music.q Talked about colors and patterns.q Noticed patterns in time and daily routines.q Made patterns with beads, blocks or other objects

and toys.

What did you do?

q I talked about color and shape patterns inobjects.

q I talked about patterns in movement, soundsand music..

q I talked about patterns in time and dailyroutines.

q I helped my child copy and make patternswith beads, blocks or other objects and toys.

______________________________________ _____________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Making Maps

What did your child do?

My child:

q Identified objects and places to includeon the map.

q Drew some objects and places on themap.

q Talked about how to get from one placeto another.

What did you do?

q I talked about objects and places in a room oron a walk or drive.

q I asked my child to tell which objects andplaces need to go on the map.

______________________________________ _____________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

How Big?What did your child do? My child:

q Made gestures (e.g., big and little) along withsongs and games.

q Understood big and little, heavy and light.q Told me if something was big or little, heavy or

light.q Put things in order according to size or weight.

What did you do?

q I sang and played games with my child.

q I talked about things that are big and little,heavy and light.

q I helped my child measure and weigh things.

______________________________________ _____________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Sorting

What did your child do? My child:q Put more than one thing in a container.q Put together things that belong together.q Said why things belong together (e.g., same

color).q Understood that there are more in a big group

(e.g., animals) than in a smaller group (e.g., dogs,cows).

What did you do?

q I gave my child things to put in a container.

q I gave my child things to sort.

q I talked about why things belong together.

q I explained that a small group is one part of abig group.

______________________________________ _____________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Numbers Are Everywhere

What did your child do?My child:

q Showed understanding of the concept of one.q Listened to number songs and books.q Recognized some numbers.q Counted. Up to which number? _____.

What did you do?

q I talked about numbers on things my childwas interested in.

q I talked about what numbers mean anddifferent ways we use numbers.

q I helped my child count things he/she wasinterested in.

q I helped my child use numbers to measureand compare things.

______________________________________ _____________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

How Many?

q Participated in counting songs and games.q Matched pairs of objects.q Counted without skipping numbers up to _____.q Said the highest number to tell how many things

were in a group.

What did you do?

q I sang counting songs and played countinggames with my child.

q I helped my child match pairs of objects.

q I helped my child count things he/she wasinterested in.

q I explained that the highest number tell howmany things are in a group.

______________________________________ _____________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

More With Numbers

q Knew that two is more than one.q Recognized which was more, which was less

and which was the same.q Added to make something bigger.q Took away to make something smaller.

What did you do?

q I helped my child compare sizes of things.

q I talked about more, less and the same.

q I explained how adding things makes thingsbigger.

q I explained how taking way makes thingssmaller.

______________________________________ _____________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Date you and your child did this activity _______________________________9

Measuring things

What did your child do?

My child:

q Used words like big and little, short andlong to describe objects.

q Recognized numbers.

q Copied numbers.

q Pointed correctly to a number and letter.

What did you do?

q I explained how numbers tell us how many orhow big things are.

q I helped my child read and write numbers.

______________________________________ _____________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

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