helpful hints

Mathematics for Preschool Children - Helpful hints

Teaching preschool children mathematics is a long process. One that starts early in a child's life.

Building a solid foundation for preschool children and giving them as many skills as possible before starting school requires repetition - and lots of it!

Below are some helpful ideas.

Start early.
Do the same thing over and over. Even if they don't appear to understand everything, parts of it are going in!
You need to tell them everything. Use correct mathematical language from the start. They don't need to use it, only hear it.
Count with your child regularly. Start with counting up to 5. The move to 10.
Complete our series of activities.
Count using items. Shopping for fruit is perfect. Count in front of them as you place items in bag.
Alternate counting. You start with one, they then say two, you say three...and so on.
Count to higher numbers for them. It doesn't matter if they don't remember. They just need to hear the numbers.
Whenever you see a number tell them what it is. This will begin familiarizing them with number symbols.
Talk to them about time. eg you've got 10 minutes to clean up your toys. You're going to bed in 20 minutes. The drive will take 1 hour.
Talk to them about measuring length, mass, volume.
Tell them about the names of shapes when you see them in the environment.
Talk to them about any aspect of mathematics when they come up. But remember to make it real for them. Use real life experiences!