Number learning for preschoolers
40 Awesome Number Activities for Preschoolers
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16 Dec
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Number activities for preschoolers don't have to be boring and just worksheets, make them fun so your preschooler will love math!
I love math. I’m a nerd, yes. But I love anything to do with numbers.
I really do hope I can pass this along to my kids by making learning activities about numbers and counting fun for them and not a chore.
As I’m typing this, Henry’s shouting excitedly as he’s counting how many things on his sprayer…though I’m not really sure what he’s counting exactly. He made it to 39 though!
Because I’m a huge math nerd I searched for easy and fun number activities for preschoolers.
My Favorite 40+ Number Activities for Preschoolers!
Try these activities to help preschoolers learn their ABCs!
Recognizing Numbers Activities for Preschoolers
Identifying numbers can be a learning experience for preschoolers (and younger!). Many of the ABC recognition activities can also be adjusted for numbers.
My kids love these 12 number activities for preschoolers to recognize numbers.
- Turn a number into sensory art – perfect for the 100th day of school!
- Go on a hunt for numbers and match it with the same number!
- Follow a number from start to finish in a maze.
- Trace numbers, really big!
- Little Family Fun created a parking lot with numbers.
- Pop! Find the number and pop it!
- Find and match playing cards.
- Have target practice with water balloons and numbers, like Motherhood on a Dime
- Make art! Do this paint by number canvas art.
- Use stickers and printable number cards to play hide and seek, from Teach Mama.
- Draw and paint over numbers with q-tips, like Toddler at Play!
- Clip and match with giant numbers from You’ve Got This Math!
Activities for Number Recognition
Counting Activities for Preschoolers
Learning there’s a sequence to the numbers and what comes next.
Try these 18 number activities to help preschoolers learn to count.
- Connect the dots! A simple past-time activity that reinforces the order of numbers.
- Upcycle a box into a puzzle of numbers!
- Create a maze of numbers to drive through. Can they count their way to the end?
- Stacking up boxes and counting how high you can go!
- Make a craft together with multiple pieces. Have your child do the counting!
- Count cars of a particular color while on the road, or semis, or vans, whatever suits their interest!
- Create a learning game with your ABC mat and number blocks. Choose a number block and pound the corresponding times with a hammer on the corresponding number mat!
- Let your child run an experiment and measure how much something holds! How many cups fit?
- Make puzzles with a picture. Label sections of the puzzle in numerical order. Cut apart and have your child put it back together again, from Growing in PreK.
- Use friendly animal crackers to practice counting and number recognition, like I Can Teach My Child.
- Measure objects (or yourself!) and count how big they are, from The Imagination Tree
- Count objects around the house. No Time For Flash Cards wants to know “How many doors do you have?”
- Play any board game, or make your own! Little Family Fun creates a fish race game!
- Count with LEGO! Do Play Learn likes to label a paper with numbers and count out the LEGO next to it.
- Snack time! Use dice and fruit snacks and play until you eat them all up, like Kids Activities Blog.
- Have a bean bag toss on the stairs, number them!
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Counting Activities for Preschoolers
One to One Correspondence Activities for Preschoolers
Knowing your numbers is one thing and knowing how to count is another. But being able to put them into context that they each have meaning is done with one to one correspondence.
Get ready for preschool with 35 name activities!
I love these 12 number activities that help a preschool practice one to one correspondence.
- Head out into nature and explore flowers. Count and compare flower petals!
- Go on a hunt for a number and match it to its corresponding dots.
- Build towers of blocks on a number mat, with the correct number of blocks high!
- Spark your child’s interest with their interests! A farming approach of loading grain bins with the corresponding number of pieces of “grain.”
- Have a newspaper throwing game and count up the newspaper balls, or how many you make, or miss!
- Make something in the kitchen together, or do an experiment and let your child measure out and do the counting.
- Sort through objects by color, and count how many you have of each!
- Fill a dump truck with objects (like Dominoes!) and count how many you can fit in there, like Inspiration Laboratories.
- Estimate first for some fun and then count item, from Teach Preschool.
- Have a counting race in the front yard and pick dandelions in the process!
- Roll a die (or two!) and practice one to one correspondence as kids build towers with blocks.
- Use a dice and small objects (like pom poms or corn kernels) and count them and fill up a tray.
One to One Number Activities for Preschoolers
Counting and number books that will get preschoolers excited about numbers:
- The Baker’s Dozen: A Counting Book
- I Spy Numbers
- One Big Building: A Counting Book About Construction (Know Your Numbers)
Do you actively work on numbers and counting with your child? Share your favorite activities!
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About Jamie Reimer
Jamie learned to be a hands on mom by creating activities, crafts and art projects for her three boys to do. Jamie needed the creative outlet that activities provided to get through the early years of parenting with a smile! Follow Jamie on Pinterest and Instagram!
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Learning Numbers in Preschool - Fantastic Fun & Learning
Learning numbers in preschool is a continual process of hands-on experiences and opportunities for real life counting.
As kids are counting numbers they are learning many important skills. This collection of preschool number activities will give you a terrific springboard for helping preschoolers learn numbers.
Tips for Helping Kids Learn About Counting Numbers
Although counting may seem like a relatively simple process, there are actually a lot of steps to learning to count.
For starters children have to learn and memorize the numerical sequence for rote counting so they know the numbers to say as they count a set of objects.
They also need to understand one-to-one correspondence and be able to touch one object for each number they are saying as they count a set.
As they begin to count sets kids also need to learn that the set represents a quantity, and the last number they say when they are counting the objects in a set corresponds to that quantity. This is know as quantification.
And they must also recognize that if we add or remove an object from the set this changes the quantity, so we must count carefully and count again if we change the objects in the set.
Finally they must learn to recognize the written format of numbers and connect that concept to their rote counting and other knowledge about counting numbers.
As you can see it’s much more complicated than it seems on the surface, but we make it easier and more meaningful when we provide kids with a lot of hands-on counting opportunities throughout their learning and play.
For additional information about teaching numbers in preschool, visit these great teaching resource books.
Preschool Number Activities
Below are some tools that work well for a wide variety of number activities.
This list of DIY math manipulatives is also very helpful.
Hands-on Number Activities without Printables
There are so many hands-on ways to help kids who are learning numbers and counting.
We can practice counting throughout the day in many ways:
- as we wait for something
- as we prepare snacks and meals
- as we gather objects
- as we sing songs
- as we take steps
On Fantastic Fun and Learning we’ve also shared many fun hands-on ideas for counting numbers.
The options in this first section are all done without printables. If you’re looking for some free printables to help kids learning to count, I’ve added those in the next section.
In this listen and spray counting game, little learners listen for a number to be called and then spray it that many times with a spray bottle. It’s great for toddlers and preschoolers!
Wiggle to 1. Tiptoe to 2. Have fun with alliteration, and get kids up and moving with this fun counting game that emphasizes number recognition.
Tea anyone? During our tea time theme we practice counting and comparing tea packets.
Set up a caterpillar sensory bin. Then use it for a variety of caterpillar counting activities.
Continue the spring sensory fun with a counting seeds gardening sensory bin.
Use play dough and number stamps to create a counting garden.
Or head outdoors with some chalk to create your own sidewalk chalk counting garden.
Race to get the gold in this rainbow counting game.
Count Rainbow Fish’s beautiful scales in this play dough Rainbow Fish counting activity inspired by Marcus Pfister’s popular book.
Make your own pumpkin faces with this fall pumpkin counting activity.
Turn old egg cartons into a fun counting activity with these bat number matching sets.
Create and count antlers for this reindeer counting game.
Feed the reindeer in this reindeer counting pretend play activity.
Help the penguins cross the ice in this winter counting sensory bin.
Printables for Counting Numbers and Sets
On Fantastic Fun and Learning we also have a lot of free printables that give kids the opportunity to practice counting and number recognition. Some of them are nonseasonal and can be done any time of year. While others are more seasonal in nature. Many are also from our preschool lesson plans, as we prefer to include a wide range of skills and activities in each thematic unit.
With these dinosaur play dough mats, kids practice creating sets to match a specific number.
Exercise those fine motor muscles as you match the correct number of caterpillar “eggs” to leaves.
Use these rain theme counting cards to count out objects in a rainy day sensory bin.
Or have some creepy crawly fun counting worms in this spring sensory bin activity.
Grab some beach theme manipulatives and practice counting with these beach counting mats.
Count out snowballs to match the numbered snowmen in this winter counting activity.
Create your own printable book to read over and over again with this snowflake counting book.
Have fun creating your own play dough “chocolates” in this chocolate box counting activity.
Practice number recognition and sequencing 1-20 in this Valentine Scavenger Hunt.
Use this number scavenger hunt to help kids learn to read and write numbers to 20.
Use our roll and color math games to practice counting numbers and sets. There are a wide variety of options to choose throughout the year.
Printables for Teaching Different Ways to Represent Numbers
As kids become more comfortable creating sets of objects and recognizing numerals, we can extend their learning by introducing additonal ways to represent numbers.
The following printables are helpful for introducing this concept.
Insect Counting Mats
Spider Counting Mats
Gingerbread Counting Mats
Seashell Counting Mats
More Resources for Learning Numbers
Counting books are an excellent resource for learning numbers. Kids enjoy reading many of them over and over again. Here is a list of our favorite counting books for kids.
There are also more ideas for counting numbers in this collection of counting games.
The counting games and puzzles below are kid-tested and teacher approved.
What next?
As kids become proficient at counting numbers we can continue helping them develop number sense by:
- working on concepts like one more and one less
- comparing amounts
- beginning to add and subtract
How to teach a child numbers: learning to count
How to teach a child numbers: recognize them, correlate them with the number of objects? After all, in ordinary life you often have to divide sweets or a whole pie equally into parts, add and subtract - knowledge of numbers and counting skills will not interfere here (so as not to deprive yourself, your loved one).
Numbers are the world of adults, children understand better when everything is visual and preferably tasty :)) Learning to count - while playing!
www.neboleem.net
Remembering numbers should be conscious, not mechanical. The composition of the number and counting within the first ten is the basis of the basics. Therefore, dear parents, we turn on the imagination and come up with fun games and simple educational aids for mental counting.
So, the first thing a baby should master is the recognition of numbers. To teach a child numbers, use sight, hearing, touch, preferably all at once - this is more effective.
Numbers live in our house: how to teach a child to count
How to make friends with numbers? You need to get to know them. Try to study 1-3 numbers every week. Come up with all kinds of tasks so that the child learns to recognize them, correlate them with the number of objects, write.
www.babyblog.ru
Numbers are everywhere! Make cards with the image of numbers and hang them around the house at the level of the child's eyes.
kapitoshi.ru
Whenever possible, focus on them, ask them to bring as much as it says on the card, give, take, eat, count, and so on. The kid must learn to correlate the visual image of a number with its quantitative value. nine0005
Number cards can be sewn from felt. It will be possible not to be afraid that the baby will tear or crush the cardboard pictures.
And here is an example of a loto, when you can not only learn to count, but also memorize colors.
While mom is in the kitchen, the baby can play with cereals, and at the same time get to know the numbers better.
Collect beautiful leaves while walking and make cards with your child. Memorize the names of trees - and learn to count! nine0005
Natural materials will be great helpers in learning to count.
How to teach a child to numbers at 4 years old
Children from three to five can already recognize numbers and master sequential counting.
The main thing is not to miss the moment and use the child's interest in mathematics.
deti-online.com
Make cards with funny numbers and ask your child to put them on the table in the correct order.
Clothespin games are fun. Attach a number plate to each clothespin and let your child learn to match the number with the number of dots. nine0005
If you want to raise a genius, learn English along with Russian. All tasks can be performed by analogy.
It is not necessary to chase after purchased games, you can do many things with your own hands - this will not make them less useful and developing.
Your little one will surely enjoy gluing buttons on plasticine or counting apples on a tree using a special ruler and window.
There are many methods by which you can teach a child to memorize numbers and count. And it is not at all necessary to rely on experienced teachers and expensive developmental aids.
Every mother at home can make sure that the baby makes friends with the numbers in the game, with the help of simple materials that are always at hand and that you can make yourself. nine0005
Do not forget about various short poems, coloring books. Do not miss the chance to repeat what you have done on a walk, in a store, on a bus, etc., where there is always something to count, compare, share equally.
www.babyblog.ru
Use numbers in creativity: while drawing, modeling, cutting, playing with the constructor, etc.
the age of the child. With your favorite characters, learning math is fun and interesting! nine0005
Dear readers! Share tips on how to teach your child numbers, teach counting, how to make friends with the world of mathematics from an early age.
How to teach a child the numbers in 3
Content of the article
- Best age
- Rules for the organization of the lesson
- Stages of the learning process
- Task Variety with didactic materials
- Use of different forms of work with didactic materials
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Active development of a child should take place from the early years of life, therefore, at the age of 3, it is worth starting to learn numbers, using various games, manuals, and didactic materials for this purpose.
Depending on the abilities of a particular baby, you can master counting up to 10 or even up to 100, the main thing is that everything is clear to the baby and he enjoys the lessons.
The best age
There is a famous phrase “after three it's too late”. Indeed, scientists have proven that babies at 2.5-3 years old have a unique ability to memorize, which weakens with age. Therefore, three-year-olds are quite capable of making their first trip into the world of mathematics and learning numbers, this will help their development and will be an excellent method of preparing for school. In addition, working with didactic materials, such as Kuizener sticks, improves fine motor skills, which, in turn, has a beneficial effect on speech. nine0005
That's why the first lessons in arithmetic can be taught as early as 3 years old. However, if the baby is not yet ready for this, it is worth giving him time, postponing the start of lessons until 4-5 years old.
Rules for the organization of the lesson
To ensure that acquaintance with numbers does not turn into “catharsis” for the child, the following principles of work should be used.
- Learning by playing. Regular guests in the classroom should be toys, dolls, fictional fairy-tale characters. nine0101 Praise is the best motivation, and scolding a baby is not worth it. It is important for parents to remember that the child does not understand why adults are unhappy with him, because he really tried. This attitude can permanently kill his desire for learning. Therefore, strictness should be forgotten.
- Classes should be conducted continuously, so you can put large bright cards with numbers, number series on the wall in the baby's room. The main thing is that the pictures should contain not only the number itself, but also the amount indicated by it. For example, a deuce and two oranges. nine0102
- Combine different activities. So, modeling figure-figures from dough or plasticine not only helps their assimilation, but also contributes to the development of fine motor skills.
- You should not overload the baby with new knowledge, for one day of acquaintance with one new number is enough.
When he has learned to clearly imagine that 1 is one subject, and 7 is seven, you can start learning to count.
Compliance with these simple rules will help parents not only pass on useful knowledge to their little ones, but also enjoy the lesson itself and communication. nine0005
Stages of the learning process
It is not easy to teach a child numbers, this matter should be approached carefully and seriously - so arrange the work in such a way as to follow the logic “from simple to complex”.
There are several stages of work.
- Acquaintance. The parent prepares the material in advance: a card, which shows, for example, one or two, selects the required number of identical items. After that, he explains that “today we are getting acquainted with the number “One”, it denotes one object. Here, look, there's only one bear." How many bears do you see? nine0102
- Memorization. Offer the child various tasks that will help him remember what the unit looks like and what it means.
Let's help him a little. Tasks should be of two types: first, those that help to correlate the number with a specific amount, and then those aimed at remembering the appearance of the number. - Fastening. The next "portion" of tasks that the baby must already complete completely independently.
- New material.
It is necessary to emphasize the connection with the past, show one bear and ask how many bears the child sees, then put the second one up, say that there are now two bears. You should not overload the child, acquaintance with each subsequent figure should be carried out only when the previous one is well learned. If parents do not have the opportunity to buy the same toys, cards, sweets, fruits, vegetables will come to the rescue. When deciding where to start, the exercises must be selected in such a way that each of them is accessible to the baby. nine0005
Activities with didactic materials
Thanks to their variety, games with specially designed sets, such as Cuisener sticks, are suitable for children from 3 to 5 years old.
You can choose those options that best correspond to the level of development of the crumbs.
Tasks for the following templates are suitable for kids.
- Find three yellow sticks.
- How many sticks do I show?
- Find two blue sticks and four yellow sticks. What more? nine0102
- Parent lays out a square of sticks and then asks how many sticks did I use to create the figure? The opposite task is also possible: fold the figure using only 5 (or any other number) sticks.
Doman's card technique has proven itself well, which helps to remember the appearance of a number and its meaning. The tasks are also simple.
- Mom shows a card, the child's task is to understand what number is shown on it and find its pair - another card on which the required number of objects is drawn. nine0102
- Then vice versa - the mother chooses a card, for example, with two bears, the child must find a pair for her - "2".
- Mom shows a card with three hares and asks the child to find the number of objects in the apartment that is shown in the picture. The preschooler can bring her three apples.
Expert opinion
Tanya Okhrimenko, educational psychologist: It's great to learn numbers with a child in a game. And you can do it not only at home. For example, going up the stairs and counting the steps. The main thing is that if the child does not remember them, do not worry, let a little time pass and everything will be fine with him. For example, what a child remembers for weeks at 3 years old, at 5 he will be able to remember in a matter of minutes if he wakes up with “cognitive interest”. nine0005
You can buy these cards or make your own.
For preschoolers who are well versed with the first ten, you can also use Zaitsev's number tape, which is a series of numbers from 1 to 99. You can place it on the wall so that the manual is always in front of your eyes.
Tasks may vary.
- An adult describes a number: two tens, three ones. The task of the child is to understand that we are talking about 23, and show the number on the tape. nine0102
- Whose number is greater. Mother and child each take one card with numbers written on it. The child must understand whose number is more important, and then find both on the tape.
- Find the age of each family member on Zaitsev's tape.
All this will help preschoolers form the correct idea of numbers.
A variety of exercises
There are a large number of exercises, the implementation of which will help a 3-year-old child to get acquainted with numbers, remember how they look and what the number means. Some of them can be used at the age of 4 years. You need to start with what the child knows well. nine0005
- Sample. The mother puts a dish in front of the child on which fruit or sweets lie, and asks him to type, for example, three pieces (for example, “give mother three sweets”).
The second version of the task - the mother herself puts aside a certain amount of sweets and asks the child to count them, and then say how many sweets are in the pile. - Find a number. An adult asks a preschooler to show him all the units that are presented on a pre-prepared poster. This will help the baby remember what the number looks like. nine0102
- Find a couple. The parent prepares two series of pictures: one shows large numbers, the other shows illustrations for fairy tales familiar to children. For example, two Ivans, three bears, seven Simeons, and so on. The child's task is to match the picture and the number.
- Count your fingers (after getting to know the five).
- Story-thematic game "Houses". The parent draws a certain number of houses on a sheet of paper in advance and asks the child to bring as many toys so that all of them can be “populated” and not a single empty house is left.
nine0102 - Mushroom game. The parent places “mushrooms” (pictures, cubes) in the room in advance, the child takes a basket with him and goes out to collect, having found the first one, he says “one”, the second - “two”, and so on.
There are a lot of games, so every day you should offer your child something new. You can also study at the computer, asking the baby to count the number of objects on the screen.
Using different forms of work
To make it easier for the baby to memorize the numbers, it is important to visualize each of them. There are several ways to do this. nine0005
- Print large pictures that depict the material being studied, and it is desirable that each number looks interesting, unusual (for example, a deuce in the form of a snake). Invite the child to color the picture with bright pencils, felt-tip pens, paints.
- Another similar task is a coloring book, which shows the indicated number (for example, five kittens) and there is a five next to it.
The child paints the picture itself and the number, gradually memorizing. Over time, the task can be complicated: there is only a certain number of objects in the picture (4 apples), the kid paints them and prepares for the parent how many of them, what number to enter. nine0102 - The child will be happy to complete this task: he will look for familiar numbers everywhere - on the street in the numbers of houses, buses, cars, on billboards. Impatient parents will be annoyed by this desire, and wise mothers and fathers themselves will offer the baby a fun task - who will find more twos or ones during the walk. And, of course, an adult must definitely lose.
In order for a child to quickly comprehend the basics of counting, one should constantly say counting rhymes with numbers, for example: “One-two-three-four-five, we are going for a walk with you.” Such a simple text can be spoken before each walk, after a few times the child will be able to repeat it himself. Board games will also be useful: by throwing a die and counting the required number of steps on the playing field, the child will quickly learn to count.
nine0005
Learning numbers with children at the age of 3-4 is a very real task, but you will have to show your imagination by offering the crumbs all new options for exercises. Patience is also extremely important, because it will not be possible to carry out the plan the first time - perhaps some number will have to be given several lessons. And this is normal, because each baby has its own level of development.
Olga Shumskaya
Chief editor of the Razvivashka Online project on early childhood development
About the expert
Olga is an active mother who is passionate about child development. Author of a course on developmental care and educational games, cards, author and editor of articles on early development and features of child neuropsychology.
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What kind of math games do your kids like? Please share until what date your children count and indicate the age.
