Math pre-k activities
Preschool Math Games and Activities to Engage Young Learners
Preschoolers have lots of important math skills to learn before they start kindergarten. Counting, number sense, sorting, patterns, comparing size, and so much more—these are all concepts toddlers need so they can move on to more advanced math concepts. These preschool math games and activities help kids master those skills in ways that are just as fun as playtime!
1. String beads on pipe cleaners
This is one of those classic preschool math games that has so many benefits for young learners. They get fine motor control practice along with learning to count, recognize numerals, and put numbers in order. All you need are pipe cleaners and beads.
Learn more: Laughing Kids Learn
2. Monster Dice Match
Rolling dice gives kids a chance to practice counting and subitizing. Get the printable for this free matching game at the link.
Learn more: The Measured Mom—Monster Dice
3.
You’ll find lots of dice-related preschool math games out there. In this one, kids roll the dice and then stack blocks together. They finish by counting the blocks all together, an early intro to addition.
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Learn more: Hands On as We Grow
4. Flip Uno cards to make a match
Get some memory practice while you learn numerals. Uno cards, with their bright and cheery colors and large numbers, are perfect for this, but regular playing cards work too.
Learn more: Primary Playground
5. Tag the number
We love that this game gives kids a chance to move! Tape up numbers on the wall (or write them on a whiteboard). Then have kids roll a die and run to tag the number that comes up. You can play this game in other ways too, like calling out the numbers randomly yourself, or taping the numbers in a variety of places around the room.
Learn more: This Reading Mama
6.
Build a cityStack building blocks and build a city skyline. You’ll get a different result every time, making this one of those preschool math games kids can play again and again.
Learn more: Cinta + Co.
7. Race to fill the cup
So simple and so fun! Grab a bin of math cubes or small toys and some plastic cups. Kids roll a polyhedral die (you can also try flipping playing cards or Uno cards) and place that many items in their cup. The first to completely fill their cup wins!
Learn more: Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls—Fill the Cup
8. Hunt for numbers
Combine a sensory experience with some number practice. Fill a bin with sand, then bury playing cards for kids to find and match up.
Learn more: Busy Toddler/Number Hunt
9. Bounce a balloon
Everyone loves playing with balloons! Roll a die, then see if you can bounce a balloon into the air that many times without letting it hit the ground.
Learn more: Confidence Meets Parenting
10.
Build a beetleThis is just like the original Cootie game, but no need to buy anything! Just cut beetle pieces from construction paper, then roll a die and see if you can be the first to assemble your bug!
Learn more: Teach Beside Me
11. Create shapes with sticks
Toddlers need to master their shapes, and this is a clever way to do it. Put together sets of wood craft sticks (use the same color for each shape) and let little fingers turn them into triangles, squares, and other shapes.
Learn more: Team Cartwright
12. Send bears into hibernation caves
Make “caves” from plastic bowls, then send little toy bears into “hibernation” in each one! Learn how the game works at the link.
Learn more: Pocket of Preschool
13. Park numbered cars
Vroom vroom! Number your toy cars to match the slots in a cardboard parking lot. Kids will have fun zooming them into the right places.
Learn more: B-Inspired Mama
14.
Line up dominoesDominoes are fantastic math learning tools. This game is a sneaky introduction to addition, as kids count up the total number of dots on each domino and put them in the proper place.
Learn more: Busy Toddler—Domino Line-Up
15. Copy ice tray patterns
Seeing and matching patterns is a key skill for preschoolers. Placing pom-poms into ice cube trays with plastic tweezers helps them work on fine motor skills too.
Learn more: Planning Playtime
16. Rubber Duck Math Race
In this game, kids race to see who can be the first to get their rubber duckies to 10 (or any number you choose). They roll a die and lay out tiles to move their duck. The twist? To get to 10 at the end, they must roll the exact number they need—no going over! Preschool math games like this help kids master counting to 10 and counting on.
Learn more: Happy Toddler Playtime—Rubber Duck Race
17. Feed the LEGO monster
Sort LEGO bricks by color, shape, or number of dots.
Then compare the number that wind up in each bag to learn the concept of “more or less.”
Learn more: Toddler Approved
18. Drop blocks into tubes
Upcycle some empty cardboard tubes by labeling them with numbers. Then drop small items like blocks or caps into the tubes to match the numbers.
Learn more: Happy Toddler Playtime—Tube Counting
19. Compare numbers to music
Prep for this game by using dot markers on paper plates as shown (visit the link below for more examples). Each kid takes a plate and uses it to “drive” around the room as you play music. When the music stops, they find a nearby partner and compare what they see on each other’s plates (e.g., “8 dots is more than 4 dots. 1 green dot is less than 4 green dots.”). Then start the music up and repeat!
20. Hold a shape scavenger hunt
Preschool math students are learning to recognize shapes in their environment and also to categorize and sort. This scavenger hunt does it all! Send them out to find objects in the room that match the shapes.
Then count and compare to see how many you have in each category.
Learn more: Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls—Shape Scavenger Hunt
If you loved these preschool math games, be sure to check out 20 Simple and Fun Preschool Science Experiments and Activities.
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Hands-On Math Activities for Preschoolers
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to Amazon. See my disclosure policy for details.
Math is so fun to teach to preschoolers because there are a lot of daily activities that incorporate math. Preschoolers don’t need worksheets for math…they should learn through play and hands-on activities.
1. Patterns with Bears
Counting Bears are a great math manipulative to use with preschoolers. You can sort, count, or use them with patterns.
I created some pattern cards to help with this. The first page is an AB pattern, meaning two colors alternate in the pattern.
The second page is an ABC pattern, meaning three are three colors in the pattern. For this activity, your preschooler will set the colored bear on top of the matching color to create a pattern. On the ABC pattern cards, the last circle is left empty. That is for your child to tell you what color it should be.
You can get the color patterns printable at the bottom of this post.
Math Skill: Patterns and Relationships
You can find more pattern activities here.
2. Sorting Colors with Bears
Sorting is a skill preschoolers should work on a lot. One way to sort is by color. We do this with our counting bears and a sorting mat.
You can get the sorting mat printable at the bottom of this post.
You can even use colored tape and pom poms to practice sorting! Add in some tweezers for some extra fine motor practice.
We also love counting mats! These are great for learning to count and working on one-to-one correspondence.
Math Skill: Patterns and Relationships
3. Money Muncher
A fun way to work on sorting is with the Money Muncher! It’s also a great activity for fine motor skills. To see all the fun details, click here.
Math Skill: Patterns and Relationships
4. Sorting Jelly Beans
Anytime we work with candy, my kids love it! You can sort M&Ms or jelly beans or whatever! To see how we did this with jelly beans, click here.
You can get the jelly bean sorting printable at the bottom of this post.
One more idea for sorting is by using toy animals. Have them sort by different characteristics, such as land animals and sea animals.
Math Skill: Patterns and Relationships
5. Graphing
Graphing is always good to introduce to preschoolers. It doesn’t have to be complex, but you can do a simple activity like graphing the types of transportation on a bar graph and use small pictures or toys (or I used erasers from The Dollar Tree).
Make graphing hands-on using apples! Even young preschoolers can begin learning about graphing with this activity.
Check out this free gumball graphing activity right here.
Math Skill: Patterns and Relationships
6. Shape Wheel
This is a fun activity for learning shapes! Just print this shape wheel and draw the same colored shapes onto clothespins. Have your child match the clothespin to the shape on the wheel. This is great for working on fine motor skills!
You can get the shape wheel printable at the bottom of this post.
Math Skill: Geometry
7. Shape Sorter
An easy way to practice shapes is with a Shape Sorter! I bought these shapes at Michaels Craft Store many years ago, but these 3D geometric shapes would be a good option if you’re interested in creating a Shape Sorter. Check out this post for details on how to make this easy math activity.
Math Skill: Geometry
8. Noodle Shape Cards
A neat sensory activity and a fun way to learn shapes are with noodles! See the post here to download the free shape cards.
Math Skill: Geometry
9. Foam Sticks
Learn shapes in the tub with these foam sticks! You can see how we did this here.
Another fun way to practice shapes is with the cookie shapes matching activity!
And my favorite way to teach about shapes is with my shape rhymes!
10. Dice Game
This is a really fun game! I took this Melissa & Doug wooden toy and put white circle stickers on the top of the pegs. I wrote numbers 1-6 and had 2 stars. I had my son roll the dice and whatever number it landed on, he would pound with a toy hammer. If the number he rolled was already down, he hit the star. Not only was this fun for him, but he was able to “subitize”, which simply means to recognize numbers instantly without counting the dots.
Math Skill: Number Concepts
11. Star Number Cards
Practice counting and recognizing numbers with star number cards. This one is great for working on one-to-one correspondence and fine motor skills.
You can get the star number printable cards at the bottom of this post.
Math Skill: Number Concepts
12. Ladybug Math
We made these adorable ladybugs and they were a hit! Not only were they fun to play with, but we did a lot of counting and sorting with them. Read all about it here.
Math Skill: Number Concepts
13. Balloons
Learn the order of numbers with this really fun game involving balloons! Check out the details here.
Math Skill: Number Concepts
14. Estimating with Water
We learned about estimation with a dropper with some fun, hands-on water activities.
Math Skill: Measurement
15.
Pouring and Comparing
We practiced pouring skills with rice into these beakers. Then I had my son line them up from biggest to smallest. Using comparative words like big/small or empty/full help teach preschoolers about simple concepts of measurement. This is simple and you could elaborate on this activity.
One more easy way to practice measurement is with Unifix cubes. Place different lengths of tape on the floor or poster board. Then have your child use Unifix cubes to measure the lines. This is a simple way to practice counting, measuring, and comparing lengths.
Math Skill: Measurement
Lastly, check out this really easy and fun way to practice counting!
If you’re looking for digital math activities, make sure to check out my counting activities using Google Slides.
If you’d like to download the 5 free printables I shared in this blog post, just click on the button below!
Abstract of a lesson in mathematics in the senior group "Mathematical Journey to a Fairy Tale" | Plan-summary of a lesson in mathematics (senior group) on the topic:
Municipal state-owned preschool educational institution "Kindergarten No.
5 of the general developing type of the urban district of the city of Novovoronezh"
Lesson in mathematics
"Mathematical journey into a fairy tale"
for older children groups
Prepared by the teacher: Korablina A. V.
2018 nine0003
Abstract of a lesson in mathematics in the senior group
"Mathematical journey into a fairy tale"
Purpose: To continue to form elementary mathematical representations.
Tasks:
- Educational: Consolidate children's knowledge of the sequence of digits in forward and reverse order.
- Exercise in the ability to sequentially name the seasons, months, days of the week, parts of the day
- Consolidate knowledge of geometric shapes. nine0024
- Strengthen the ability to navigate on a sheet of paper.
Developing:
- Develop social skills, ability to work in a group, in pairs; find solutions and draw conclusions.
- Develop attention, logical thinking, memory and speech.
Educational:
- To cultivate restraint, perseverance, goodwill, feelings of mutual assistance, a desire to help. nine0024
Methods and techniques:
Visual: handout figures, illustrations.
Verbal: conversation, questions, riddles
Practical: physical education.
Equipment:
Illustrations, magnetic board, handout numbers from 1 to 10, sheet of A4 white paper, colored pencils.
GCD:
Educator: Guys, do you like fairy tales? Would you like to get into a fairy tale and help our heroes?
Today I want to tell you a fairy tale, a fairy tale is not simple, magical, with mathematical tasks. nine0003
And to get into a fairy tale, you need to close your eyes and say the magic words “1, 2, 3 turn around, find yourself in a fairy tale!”
We open our eyes. The story begins.
Once upon a time there was a king. And he had a beautiful daughter. Here the tsar somehow left on his royal affairs, but his daughter remained at home.
She went out into the garden for a walk, and then the wind came up, picked up the princess and carried her away to the Far Far Away kingdom. The tsar became sad and asked Ivan, the tsarevich, to find the princess. There is Ivan - Tsarevich for a day, for two. Approaches the hut on chicken legs. And Baba Yaga lives there. Tsarevich Ivan told about his misfortune. Baba Yaga promised to help if Ivan Tsarevich answered her questions. nine0003
Listen carefully to Baba Yaga's questions:
Educator:
- What day of the week is it today?
- What was the day of the week yesterday?
- What day of the week will it be tomorrow?
- What day of the week will the day after tomorrow be?
- What seasons do you know? Name.
- How many months are there in a year? Name.
- What is the first month of the year?
- Name the parts of the day.
Educator: We coped with the task of Baba Yaga. nine0003
Baba Yaga gave a ball and sent the prince to Kikimora.
She has a map. The ball rolled, and the prince followed him. The ball rolled to the swamp. And Kikimora appeared before the prince. She listened to the prince and decided to help, and in order to get a card, you must complete her task.
Educator: Let's help Tsarevich Ivan.
To move on, we need to build a bridge across the swamp, but an unusual bridge, but from numbers. From 1 to 9 and vice versa.
(Children lay out the numbers in order from 1 to 9and vice versa)
- Name the number greater than 2 by 1 (3)
- The smallest digit (1), the largest digit (9)
- The digit that is less than 7 by 1 (6)
- 7)
- Show a number greater than 3 by 2. (5)
- Name the neighbors of number 9. (8 and 10)
Educator: Well done! We coped with the task, and Kikimora gave a map to Ivan - the prince can go further. The ball rolled on and led Ivan Tsarevich into the fairy forest. nine0003
-So we ended up in a fairy forest.
Miracles happen in the forest. The forest dwellers prepared a quick wits task:
- How many ears do two mice have? (4) Why?
- How many tummies do 5 hippos have? (5)
- Birds were flying over the river: dove, pike, two tits? How many birds? (3) Why?
- How many hooves does a horse have when the horse lies in the grass? (4) Explain.
- How many houses do 100 ants have? (1)
- How many times a year does Ivan Tsarevich have a birthday? (nineteen0024
- What about you? (1)
Problems - riddles:
- I found in the hollow of a squirrel
Nine pieces of small nuts.
Here is another one,
carefully covered with moss.
Well, squirrel, here is the hostess!
Count all the nuts! (10) (How did the number 10 come about?)
-Children's answers.
- Six merry piglets,
Stand in a row at the trough! nine0003
Pigs left.
..(5)
- Six puppies
Plus mom-like.
How much will it be?
Count - ka! (7)
- With his nose up high
The hare carried six carrots,
Stumbled and fell -
Lost two carrots. How many carrots does the hare have left? (4)
- One day three chickens,
And with them three mice,
Three merry ones with them,
Washed piglets
Did you run early and play in the clearing? (9)
- Three hares, five hedgehogs
They go to kindergarten together.
We will ask you to count,
How many kids are in the kindergarten? (8)
Well done, guys! Done with the task!
Are you a little tired?
The inhabitants of the forest advised me to gain strength in order to move on.
Physical education minute
Ivan Tsarevich:
One - bent down, straightened out,
Two - bent down, straightened out,
Three - three claps in his hands,
Three nods with his head,
Spread his hands to the sides and went, went, followed the princess into the wilderness of the forest,
Suddenly he saw a stump, sat quietly and dozed off.
Educator: Children, open your eyes, you see, there is a castle in front of us, in which the princess is hidden. The gates of the castle are closed, there is a high stone wall around the castle! How to get there?
- I came up with it! And let's make a carpet - an airplane, and then Ivan Tsarevich will be able to fly over a high wall on it! nine0003
To do this, we need to sit down at the tables and start making magic carpets.
Pencils and paper in front of you. Get ready to listen to the task and draw (Graphic dictation):
- Draw a red square in the upper left corner;
- Draw a green rectangle in the lower right corner;
- Draw a blue triangle in the lower left corner;
- Draw a yellow circle in the upper right corner.
- Draw an orange oval in the center; nine0024
- To the right of the orange oval, draw a pink rhombus
- To the left, a purple trapezoid
Educator: now let's check:
What geometric figure did Yegor draw
in the lower right corner?
Where did Polina draw the yellow circle?
In which corner did Dima draw an oval?
Etc.
-Children, how did we decorate our carpets?
Children's answers. (Geometric shapes)
Educator: Well done. Ivan Tsarevich flew over the wall and freed the princess! nine0003
They returned to the king and began to live, live and make good!
Educator: And it's time for us to return to kindergarten. Close your eyes and start counting from 1 to 5.
(Children count in chorus)
Here we are in kindergarten.
We visited a fairy tale,
We learned a lot,
We returned back,
Kindergarten is very glad to us.
Summing up:
Where did we guys travel today?
What did you like?
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