3 year old math


Math5Littles | Early Math Activities for Two- and Three-Year-Olds

We’ve designed these games to focus on the six key skill areas of early math.

When young children learn early math skills, it isn’t about equations and flashcards—it’s all about having fun while helping your little one’s brain grow. Take some time to browse the play activities below and try some with your 2-to-3 year-old. We’ve designed these games to focus on the six key skill areas of early math:

  • Counting
  • Computation
  • Shapes
  • Spatial awareness
  • Measurement
  • Patterns

Start with the first set of activities and then move on to the others when your child is ready. As you play, remember that children master skills at different speeds—for example, counting errors are common in the early years. Feel free to adjust the challenge level to suit your child. Remember the goal is having fun, so avoid making a big deal about mistakes. Just explain the correct answer and move on with the activity.

Activity Levels:

  • Starting Out
  • Next Up
  • Ready to Soar

If you are looking for the Spanish translations of the activities, click here.

If you are a professional and would like to use these activities with the families in your program, check out the User’s Guide to assist with your planning and implementation.

Math5Littles is a collaboration between American Institutes of Research and ZERO TO THREE.

 

Starting Out

  • One Cracker, Two Crackers
  • Counting Fun
  • Ones and Twos
  • Basket Ball
  • Teddy Bear Climbs a Chair
  • Over Under Obstacle Course
  • Counting Rhymes
  • Only One
  • Now, Listen to Me Count
  • Step on the Shape
  • Shape Sorting
  • Shape I-Spy

Next Up

  • Comparing Apples and Oranges
  • Shape Hunt
  • Red, Blue, Red, Blue
  • Counting As You Go
  • Counting What You Eat
  • How Many on the Plate?
  • One Dot, Two Dots
  • Can You Match This?
  • Patterns with Forks and Spoons
  • Tracing Shapes
  • Find the Shapes
  • Match the Shapes to Their Shadows

Ready to Soar

  • Shoe Shoe Train
  • And the Beat Goes On
  • Circle, Circle, Square
  • One More for the Birds
  • How Many Fingers?
  • Macaroni Math
  • Big Spoon, Little Spoon
  • Warm Soup, Cold Soup
  • Puppy Tails
  • Apple Tree Math
  • What’s in the Bowl?
  • Matching Sets of Rocks

 

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Math for 3-4 Year Olds: Activities, Worksheets and Games

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Jessica Kaminski

7 minutes read

April 26, 2022

With a bit of practice, math can be relatively easy for preschoolers. After kids are  exposed to new math concepts, they should practice regularly. As studying math may seem a bit overwhelming at first glance, let’s cover a few basic suggestions on approaches to learning math for 3 year olds and math for 4 year olds.

Math for Three and Four Year Olds

Math is an important subject for kids in their preschool years. To help children master basic math skills and begin to prepare them for school, it is important to work with kids on math activities that are appropriate for their age.

As you work with your child, remember that learning should be fun, and your kid should not become upset or frustrated when working on math exercises.

Math Activities

Studying math is an essential activity necessary for a child’s development. In the first few years of life, toddlers begin to build their understanding of numbers and simple math concepts. The goal is to create fun activities that promote confidence and a love for learning. Studying math in early age also develops eye-hand coordination as well as fine motor control. Following are the activities you can try with your preschooler:

a) Color recognition

Color recognition is among the first math activities for 3 year olds. This skill lays the foundation for kids’ ability to count objects and group them by color.

To help your child learn colors, begin with simple projects like sorting objects. You can start with several different colored blocks, buttons, or other objects of the same size. Once you gather materials together, encourage your child to sort the items by color into separate piles.

Once kids master this activity for 3 year olds, move on to counting individual items using number recognition cards that you can make yourself or find online.

b) Shapes in the sky

Show your child how to make shapes in the air by making circles, triangles, and squares with their arms as they say the name of each shape out loud. Apply this exercise as part of the number activities for 3 year olds to help your child become familiar with some basic shapes that they will encounter in preschool.

c) Tape measure

Give your child a roll of tape and watch as they measure everything in sight. Measuring is one of math activities for 4 year olds. Probably, a kid can measure toys and body parts. Be sure to ask your kid what comes after “10 inches” so that they start recognizing numbers more than 10 too!

d) Piece of pie

Invite your child to cut a piece of paper or a cardboard box into fourths and then eighths, and keep on cutting until you have a pile of pieces of different sizes. Ask your child how many pieces they have and how many more they need to cut the whole thing into 12, for example.

Numbers and Counting

Use toys to teach numbers to a 4 year old. You can count toys while holding them in your hand, e.g., 1 toy, 2 toys, 3 toys, etc.

If a kid is old enough to write, make them write numbers on paper with a pencil or crayon. If they are too small, then get some wooden number blocks from the store or make them at home and teach kids how to arrange the items in order, e.g., 1, 2, 3, etc.

Counting games for 3 year olds are important tools since they help form the basis for studying math concepts. There are many ways you can teach your child how to count correctly:

  • Counting with fingers: For this activity, you should sit on the floor with your child in front of you and ask to raise their hands and count one finger at a time; thus, a kid can count up to 10. That is one of the ways of how to teach numbers to a 4 year old.
  • Counting with toys: It is a suitable approach to teach mathematics for 3 year olds by asking your child to gather all their toys and then count as many things as they can. Toys counting is among the most effective counting games for 3 year olds. You should give kids feedback after each try and encourage them to proceed studying.
  • Counting by jumping: Perform this activity by asking your child to jump on the ground in rhythm with your voice while you count from 1 to 10 or more if they can do it successfully. After ten jumps, a kid can stop and repeat the activity as many times as possible. It is one of the practical math games for 3 year olds.

Math Worksheets

The ultimate goal of math worksheets is to teach children mathematics concepts, including counting, adding and subtracting numbers, and solving math problems. Remember, math worksheets are not just used for teaching math for three year olds; they are also a great resource for review and practice and can help students of all ages retain key mathematical skills.

Math worksheets for 3 year olds help kids practice simple math facts. Furthermore, they can teach children new concepts. For example, if a child is learning addition using a standard method, they may have an easier time learning a new concept such as multiplication by using the same approach.

Math Games

Math games for 4 year olds can be entertaining and effective ways to teach kids math facts, arithmetic operations, and even logic.

One of the popular math games for four year olds is dice games. In this game, your child should roll the dice and count how many dots they see on each side.

You can then ask a kid to add the dots on all sides together, which helps your child learn addition quickly. Dice games are suitable for children from four to seven years old.

Conclusion

Teaching the basics of math for 3 and 4 year olds is vital. Fundamental math skills they master at this age are a solid foundation for further successes in math. Early math education promotes the development of mathematical thinking and positively impacts social outcomes in the future.

Jessica Kaminski

Jessica is a a seasoned math tutor with over a decade of experience in the field. With a BSc and Master's degree in Mathematics, she enjoys nurturing math geniuses, regardless of their age, grade, and skills. Apart from tutoring, Jessica blogs at Brighterly. She also has experience in child psychology, homeschooling and curriculum consultation for schools and EdTech websites.

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Kolmogorov Summer School (general information) – SUNC MSU

The second round of entrance examinations is held as part of the Kolmogorov Summer School (KLSh) in accordance with the Regulations approved by the Academic Council of the Specialized Educational and Scientific Center of Moscow State University. Please do not confuse KLSh with other Summer Schools organized by the STSC MSU.

Where? In 2022 remotely

When? June 16 - June 30, weekend June 22-23.

How to get there? nine0004 To be invited to the CLS, you need to pass the 1st round of entrance examinations at the STSC MSU or have benefits.

The total number of students of the 10th and 11th grades of the CLS is about 360 people.

Participation in the Kolmogorov summer school is free.

Pupils who showed the best results at the end of CLS and received a positive opinion from the psychologist of the STSC MSU are recommended for admission to the STSC MSU. About 200 people are enrolled in the SESC MSU every year.

About Kolmogorov Summer School

In CLS the main form of classes is seminars, but a small number of lectures are given in some subjects. Schoolchildren study from 6 to 8 academic hours a day. In physics and mathematics classes, each school day, as a rule, includes three hours of mathematics and physics classes. Each class has two mathematics teachers who are present at the same time in the classroom. In physics lessons, the class is usually divided into subgroups. In the chemistry class, all study time is divided approximately equally between classes in mathematics, physics and chemistry. Each chemistry lesson consists of 3 lessons. At the first lesson, a lecture is given for the whole class, then the class is divided into two subgroups and a seminar and a test are held on the topic that was presented at the lecture. In the biology class, unlike the chemistry class, classes in biology are held instead of physics classes. Close communication between teachers and students, of course, is not limited to lessons, students can get the necessary advice at any time. nine0005

Owing to such an organization, classes at the CLS are held in an atmosphere of friendship, mutual understanding and enthusiasm. After lunch and on the day off, students will have a varied cultural program. The content of the courses in the summer school is always selected so that the difference in the level of preparation of students affects the results of their work in CLS as little as possible. The selection of educational materials takes place in such a way that learning is interesting and accessible to everyone, and its study creates an atmosphere of search, enthusiasm and development of interest in conducting, albeit small, work research character . For each subject, tests are carried out, and at the end - tests / exams.

Format of entrance examinations of the 2nd round

In accordance with the Rules for admission to the STSC MSU, the following entrance examinations are held in the second round:

Department Subject tests
fundamental physical and mathematical nine0002 (two years)

  • mathematics
  • physics
  • computer science
applied physical and mathematical

(two years)

  • applied mathematics
  • physics
  • mathematics
chemical

(two years)

  • chemistry
  • mathematics
  • physics
biological

(two years)

  • biology
  • mathematics
  • chemistry
  • physics
physical and mathematical

(one-year department)

  • mathematics
  • physics
  • computer science

profile classes :

  • mathematics
  • physical
  • physical and mathematical
  • computer information

On the basis of the two-year applied physics and mathematics department, profile classes were formed :

  • scientific and engineering

In order to enter the selected profile class during CLS, you must pass an additional interview with the curators of the class of this specialization. An applicant entering the fundamental or applied physics and mathematics department can be interviewed in several specialized classes within this department. nine0005

Mathematics - Olympus MGOU

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Dear participants of the qualifying stage of the conference of design and research work of schoolchildren "First steps into science"! We publish the list of participants in the full-time stage of the section "mathematics" and "geography". We remind you that the geography section will be held on May 24 at the address: Mytishchi, st. Vera Voloshina, 24, room 200. Registration starts at 10:30, the conference starts at 11:00 The mathematics section will be held on May 28 at the address: Moscow, st. Radio, 10 A, room 82. Start of registration at …

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Mathematics • Physics 0 comments

We publish the results of the regional stage in physics and mathematics Results of the region in mathematics: Grade 11 Grade 10 Grade 9 Results of the region in physics: Grade 11 Grade 10 Grade 9

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Mathematics • Physics 1 comment nine0005

Passing points for the Euler Olympiad (mathematics) - 8th grade - 26 points; passing scores for the Maxwell Olympiad (Physics) - 7th grade - 26 points, 8th grade - 26. 5 points Letter from the Ministry of Education of the Moscow Region about the Olympiads

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Accommodation and meals for participants are FREE. Accommodation of participants is carried out in the hotel "Gerda" at the address: Mytishchi, st. Vera Voloshinoy, d. Vera Voloshinoy, 24. Meals 3 times a day (reinforced) will be provided in the dining room of the building. Meeting and check-in of profile participants ...

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Mathematics • Events • News 0 comments

Applications for the Summer School of Mathematics are closed. List of participants in the summer mathematical school No. Full name Territory school class 1 Balibalov Ivan Korolev MBOU "Gymnasium No. 5" 10 2 Golenkov Alexey Krasnoarmeysk MBOU Secondary School No. 4 10 3 Gordienko Dmitry Vlasikha Secondary School named after. A.


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