Math

Jessica George – Early Childhood

Education 1A
Learning Objective:

• Demonstrate knowledge of math activities (i.e.

sequencing, sorting, classification, matching,
seriation, and manipulatives).
Teaching Math to Preschoolers:

 Social interaction is a central part of learning.

 Oral language is important in development of
math skills and all other skills.
 Provides opportunities for discussing,
questioning, and higher levels of learning.
Teaching Math to Preschoolers:

 Math concepts should be concrete, filled with

play, exploration, and use of manipulatives.
 Manipulatives are objects that provide tactile and hands
on learning experiences.

 A variety of blocks in the block area help the children

learn math concepts as well.
Teaching Math to Preschoolers:

 Repetition of exposure and training is an

important part of all learning experiences.
 Reteach the concept in a different way and continue
practicing the skill.

 Break it down into small and simple steps and go slow.

Math Concepts
Counting:

Rote counting is the simplest number concept

that children develop, and it merely consists of
counting numbers sequentially.
Numeration is understanding the concept of
numbers.
 Counting:

Use one to one correspondence

Slowly touching each object one at a time and setting it
aside as they count.

Count as we clap, climb stairs, jump up and

down, etc.
Measuring:

 Figuring the measurement of objects in length,

height, weight, size, etc.
 Use something other than a ruler – their hand,
their pencil, candy in a line, filling something up
and holding it, etc.
Measuring:
 Law of Conservation: even though an objects
shape changes, its volume or amount stays the
same.
 Vocabulary – inch, pound, quart, bigger, lighter,
more than, etc.
Classification and Sorting:

 Categorizing or putting items together that are

alike in some way or that belong together and
share similar qualities.
Classification and Sorting:

 Classification: categorize by nature, family,

name, etc.
 Dogs and cats

 Sorting: categorizing by characteristics

 Colors of dogs, size of the dog ears, size of the dogs tail,
etc.
Statistics and Probability:

 Creating a visual representation of your

discovery.
 Graph types of bugs found, growth of plants, hair or eye
colors in class, etc.

 Making a prediction.
 Predict how many flowers will bloom from seeds planted.
Sequencing:
 The order of how to accomplish a task or how
things happened.
 Vocabulary – beginning, middle, last, end, 1st,
2nd, 3rd, etc.
Time:

 Time concepts must relate to their world.

 Examples – the length of their favorite T.V.
show, how many sleeps until something
happens, etc.
 Vocabulary – before and after, sequence, timers
Spatial Relations:
 Understanding position and direction
 Maps (map of the classroom, their house, room,
etc.)
 Vocabulary – on, in, under, next to

 Following directions (draw a red flower next to

the orange flower.)
Temperatures:

 Using senses to understand the difference

between hot and cold.
 Placing a thermometer in the shade and place one in the
sun

 Watching ice melt on the cement

Shapes:

 Shape identification of both 2 and 3 dimensional

shapes
 Spheres, cubes, rectangular, prisms, cylinder

 Pictures of shapes need names written on them

 The shape of objects in the room

Patterning:

 Arranging items in a specific a sequence based

on attributes
 Repeat and growing patterns or eliminate ones that are
different

 Logical reasoning
Color:

 Using the senses to understand and identifying

the names of colors
Seriating:

 Putting things in descending or ascending order

based on size, weight, and volume
 Vocabulary words – big, bigger, biggest, tallest
to shortest, lightest to heaviest
Money:

 Children can understand that money is needed

to buy items as they play activities like grocery
store or restaurant
 Can start to identify coins, but the monetary
amount is an abstract concept.
Symmetrical:

 Mirror images of each other