Numeracy. Rote Counting. One to One Correspondence. Subitizing. Such big words for such little people.
Our preschoolers and kindergarteners are laying the foundation for every math skill they will ever learn.
Most likely, they are deciding whether or not they are
"good at math". Or if
math is 'hard'.
And a big deciding factor in that opinion, is how math is approached in preschool and kindergarten.
Too many times, I'm asked what workbooks and curricula I recommend for preschool and kindergarten math. Even one time would be too many...
#justsayinApproaching early mathematics skills through workbooks, worksheets and straight up memorization is not developmentally appropriate. And it is definitely not a way to build
a love for learning math skills.
So, how do we teach math skills to preschoolers and kindergarteners in a way that meets the required standards AND engages the kids? Something that helps them to fall in love with the process of learning...
Through play of course! The best way to teach math skills is to let kids play and get involved in the process. A
lmost all beginning math skills can be learned through conversation, observations, and suggestions related to play.
But the school won't let us play all day!And that is a very sad
reality.
So when we can't let our kids play all day, we do the next best thing.
We use learning games that help the kids have so much fun that they forget that it's supposed to be a 'learning activity'.
Today is Day 2 of the Differentiated Learning Activities Series. A 10-day series designed to help you find kid-tested and teacher approved activities that are a perfect fit for ALL of your kids.
Take a look at what I'll be sharing:
Day 1- Alphabet (
Click here for a web version of yesterday's e-mail)
Day 2- Number Recognition <<<TODAY!Day 3- STEM ActivitiesDay 4- Fine Motor and Gross MotorDay 5- CountingDay 6- Beginning ReadingDay 7- Addition and SubtractionDay 8- PatternsDay 9- ShapesDay 10- MeasurementWhile there are many foundational math skills that are important for preschoolers and kindergarteners to learn, many people think that being able to say the numbers 1-20 or 1-1,000,000 is "good enough".
Sorry to tell you, it's not.
Understanding what those numbers mean through counting and one to one correspondence (Day 5) is essential. Recognizing the actual written numeral and the number word are also essential skills for preschoolers and kindergarteners.
But it is important to keep it on their level. They are not going to understand what
1,539,782,032 is.
No, the end goal for kindergarten is recognizing numbers up to 20. So when we break it down over the kindergarten year and back into preschool, we don't start by teaching our preschools the numbers up to 20.
The natural progression is:
1 to 3
1 to 5
1 to 8
1 to 10
1 to 19
1 to 20
This is where differentiation comes in. Some kids will breeze through all of these steps and make it feel like it was just one step. Others need to take it one chunk at a time. And both are okay. And so is any combination of the two.
The printables I'm sharing with you today will make it easy to fit those needs wherever your preschoolers and kindergarteners may be on their math journey.
Introduction to Numerals:
Easy Puzzle Number Recognition Activity- Introduction to Numerals, Fine Motor Skills
Number Recognition Sorting and Matching Activity- Recognizing numerals, number words and numbers in multiple formats.
