PRE-MATHTEACHING MATH

TO YOUNG CHILDREN

                                                              

TRY TO MEMORIZE THESE SYMBOLS

Top to bottom, left to right: 1, 7, 12, 3, 6, 4, 5, 10, 8, 9, 11, 2

NOW TEST YOURSELF:

A taste of what a child has to accomplish when learning numbers

MATH IN EVERYDAY LIFEWhere do we see math?

Recipes, cleaning up, getting dressed, laundry, dishes, the sandbox, toys, …

HAVE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE ABOUT LEARNING MATH – OR LEARNING

ANYTHING

More than just 1 - 2 - 3

MATH IN BOOKS, SONGS, AND FINGERPLAYS

• 1,2,3,4,5 once I Caught a Fish Alive6,7,8,9,10 Then I let him go again.

Why’d-ya let him go again?‘cause he bit my finger so!Which finger did he bite?

This little finger on the right.

Others that deal with MATH concepts?• 5 Little Monkeys in a tree or on the Bed• 5 Little Speckled Frogs• 5 Little Ducks

TEACHING MATH MATH CONCEPTS SHOULD BE

CONCRETE & MANIPULATIVE Hands on Filled with PLAY Include questioning and exploration

SOCIAL INTERACTION IS IMPORTANT Oral language is important in

development of math skills. CONSIDER CHILDREN’S INTERESTS

MATHEMATICAL MANIPULATIVES CLASSROOM MATERIALS: MANIPULATIVES

Felt & magnetic numbers & shapes Peg boards Ruler, measuring tapes, measuring cups, scales Play money & cash registers Calendars Timers, clocks, Thermometers Counting rods Light & heavy objects Buttons, keys, spools Puzzles

TEACHING MATH CONSIDER PRIOR KNOWLEDGE Repetition is important. Mistakes are good & a natural part of

learning process. Simple activities can have complex

concepts. Break them down into small and simple

steps and go slow.

INTRODUCE NEW VOCABULARY

Big & Little

together

High & Low

Wide & NarrowFirst, middle & Last Few & Many

Highest & LowestBunch

Once - Twice

PairLight and heavy

Long, tall, & Short

Same and differentMore and lessmost

group

CONCEPT: COUNTING Rote Counting

Learned by memorization Touch objects

one to one correspondence Tell how many

                                               

Number link

TOUCH POINTS (DOT) NUMBERS

1 2 3 4 56 7 8 9

COUNTING IDEASTouch each object as you count so it is counted oncePlaying games like Chutes and Ladders.Feed the Bear (roll a dice and throw that number of Bean Bags into the bears mouth) Counting each square as they hop into itCounting as you clap

Give students a bag of various colored gummy bears.Ask them to sort them by placing them in piles.Have the students identify and name each color they have sorted.Have the students color each bear on the color graph.Ask them count how many bears were in each color.

CONCEPT: MEASURE UP Figuring the measurement of objects

Length, height, weight Measuring units: inch, pound, quart

Measurement comparisons

MEASURING IDEASCut out several different size of fish.Have rulers for the children to compare the different lengths of fish.

CONCEPT: CLASSIFICATION Putting items together that are alike in some way or

belong together - categorizing. Ask: Does this belong?

Sort boys/girls Sort children by hair color Sort different types of animals

Sorting trays help organize. clear cup, egg carton, muffin tin

CLASSIFYING IDEASGlue buttons to a sturdy board.Give the children a piece of yarn and show them how to wrap it around the buttons to make designs. Ask the children to create a rectangle, square or triangle.Have children wrap the yarn around the same color of buttons, or a certain number of buttons, etc.

SORTING IDEASColored beads, buttons, pompoms, feathers, etc.White glueHeavy paper, divided into 4 partsMarkersPlace the objects on a table for children to see.Give them construction paper with four lines or folds.Ask them to put the appropriate color into the box labeled with the colors.Glue objects to the paper.

CONCEPT: STATISTICS & PROBABILITY Creating a visual representation of your discovery

Graph types of bugs found, growth of plants, etc. Making a prediction

Predict how many flowers will bloom from seeds planted.

STATISTICS IDEASGraph the types of shoes that students are wearing.(tie, slip on, sandals/flipflops, sneakers)Give the children pictures of each of the foods they might eat during Thanksgiving.Have them pick out their 5 favorite foods, and place their pictures on the graph.Count each of the items with the students and discuss which has more or less.

CONCEPT: SPATIAL RELATIONSMapsSpace / matterFollow directions

SPATIAL RELATIONSHIPS IDEASHave marshmallows and spaghetti noodles available for children to create a marshmallow sculpture.

CONCEPT #4 = TIME Children can start to read a clock

Have a digital clock next to a face clock Time concepts must relate to their world

The length of their favorite TV show, “sleeps” Before and after, sequence, timers

Salt / Water Timer in a cup.

TIME IDEASHave children cut out the clock and hands and assemble using a brad and gluing the clock onto the back of a paper plate. They may want to color their clocks as well.When completed, practice with the children what different times look like on the clock.

CONCEPT: SEQUENCING The order of how to accomplish

a task or how things happened. Beginning, middle, last Beginning and end 1st, 2nd, 3rd then have them

reverse it. Sequence the order of

pictures in a story

SEQUENCING ACTIVITYActivity: Divide into 4 groups. Assign each a group an action.

1 = Stand at attention2 = Arms straight out to side3 = Clap hands above head4 = Hands on waist

• Count and have every group do their movement – • Do it faster. • Do all 4 actions together.

What else can you put in a SEQUENCE?

SEQUENCING IDEASHave snack crackers, peanut butter, bananas, and raisins available.Print off the Cat Eyes Snack RecipeHave children create the snack from the poster.

CONCEPT: PATTERNINGRepeat & growing patternsLogical reasoningEliminate ones that are different

PATTERN ACTIVITYPass out Fruit Loops on a paper plate for every couple

of students.• Students are to make a pattern on a very small straw

(coffee/hot chocolate) using 10 fruit loops. • Put a small marshmallow on each end.

You have just created an EDIBLE ABACUSWhat else can be put in a PATTERN?

PATTERNING IDEAS2 colors of construction paperScissorsRulerStaplerCut construction paper into 1” strips.Have children pick two different colors of construction paper.Alternate the strips and staple closed.

CONCEPT = COLORMATH SUN

Using crayons or markers, trace the number and do the following:1 = Red

2 = Blue

3 = Green

4 = Orange

5 = Yellow

6 = Purple

7 = Pink

8 = Brown

9 = Black

10 = Your Favorite Color

12

3

4

6

7

9

810 5

6

“Bring me the red block vs. what color is this”

COLOR IDEASTransition timesSorting by colorPlay “I spy”Color charts and graphsColor associations

TEMPERATURECookingThermometerOutside

CONCEPT: SHAPES Shape identification

Pictures of shapes need name written on it (language development)

The shape of objects 2 & 3 dimension

Spheres, cubes, rectangular, prisms, cylinder (use correct names)

SHAPES IDEASCut out a large circle, square, triangle and rectangle, and star.Place the objects around the room and have the children hunt for the different shapes.Play game & move # of spaces of the # of sides (circle=0)

CONCEPT: SERIATING Size relationships

Putting things in order based on Size, weight, and volume Big, bigger, biggest Tallest to shortest Lightest to heaviest

SERIATION ACTIVITY• Take one piece of Shoe String Licorice and break into 4

pieces of different sizes. • Put in order of Shortest to Longest

• Have 4 students come to the front of the room. Group them according to body height and then hair length.

What else is an example of SERIATION?

SERIATION IDEASHave pencils, paper and scissors available.Trace each of the children’s feet onto a sheet of paper. Have the children cut out their traced foot.Have the children put the feet in order of largest to smallest and vice versa.

• Go Fishing: attach a paper clip to fish of different sizes. Attach a magnet to a rope and fish. Put the fish in order by size.

My dad gave me one dollar billCause I’m his smartest son,

And I swapped it for two shiny quartersCause two is more than one.

And then I took the quartersAnd traded them to Lou

For three dimes-I guess he don’t knowThat three is more than two.

Just then, along came old blind BatesAnd just cause he can’t see

He gave me four nickels for my three dimes,And four is more than three.

And I took the nickels to Hiram CoombsDown at the seed-feed store,

And the fool gave me five pennies for them,And five is more than four.

And then I went and showed my dad,And he got red in the cheeks

And closed his eyes and shook his head-Too proud of me to speak!

SMART

ByShel

SILVERSTEIn

CONCEPT: MONEY Children can start to identify

coins Playing store helps children gain

a sense of the cost of things

“Just write a check, Mom”

MONEY IDEASGive each child a ziploc bag with pennies inside.Label the food in the child care lab with prices, and allow the children to buy the food.