Preschool Number Activities

Preschool number activities for toddlers are skills that are more compound than learning to say a series of nonsense syllables "one, two and three".

Toddlers only understand the real meaning of mathematics problem solving when they are able to point out while they count.

Even before kids master counting, they can learn about the concepts of addition and subtraction through preschool number activities that ask kids to make predictions about addition and subtraction.

Discoveries in cognitive psychology and neuroscience suggest that preschool number activities should address more than verbal counting.

Here are some ideas of preschool math activities that will help your toddler with math problem solving.

Preschool Number Activities:

Number Rhymes:

Number rhymes help toddlers to memorize names of numbers in the correct order.

Examples of number rhymes include:

"One, two buckle my shoe,
three, four knock on the door,
five, six pick up sticks
seven, eight lay them straight
nine, ten a bi fat hen."

"2 Little eyes to look around
2 little ears to hear each sound
One little nose to smell what’s sweet
One little mouth that likes to eat."

Number songs:

Number songs is a fun way to play with numbers and help toddlers remember a specific sequence by means of a song.

Examples of number songs include:

Sing to: “Ten little Indians”
"One little, two little,
three little … (put any word according to the theme of the week)
four little, five little
six little ….
Seven little, eight little
Nine little …
Ten little …"

"One, two, three four five
Once I caught a fish alive,
Six, seven eight nine ten,
then I let it go again.
Why did you let it go?
‘Cause it bit my finger so.
Which little finger did it bite?
This little finger on my right!"

Through preschool math games the principle of preschool counting is explained on a level that the child understands.

Shapes:

When you introduce your child to different shapes, keep in mind that all the shapes have to be one color, e.g. red square and red circle. When you introduce them to one specific shape, the colors can differ.

Create shapes by using tape/rope/chalk. Let your toddler jump in and out of the shapes.
Let them walk on the line of the shape you created by using rope. Just remember to emphasize the shape's name.
Give your kids simple exercises to do. If you have big colorful shapes for toddlers to jump on, say something like: “Jump on the red circle.”
Make shapes out of different materials, so that each shape feel different, e.g. circles out of sandpaper, silk etc.

Size:

When you introduce your child to different sizes, refer to objects as being big or small.

Collect different sizes of objects, e.g. soft toys. Different sizes of balls can be used for this exercise. Ask your toddler where is the biggest one and the smallest one.
Arrange blocks from big to small, or cardboard boxes.
Get all kinds of animal pictures, let them arrange it into two groups, big animals and small animals.

Volume:

This is a fun activity that can be done every night during bathtime.

Use the activity of pouring liquid, rice, sand, etc. in and out of a jug, or let them pour water from one cup/bucket to another during water play or in the sandpit.

Weight/Mass:

Let the toddlers experiment with heavy and light objects.

Classification:

Classification is when you arrange things into groups according to their characteristics.

Take two muffin pans. Let them sort e.g. coke tops and buttons. Each has to go in a different pan.
Pack everybody’s shoes out, let them find their partners, do the same with socks.
Sort teaspoons and tablespoons
When they help you tidy up after sleepy time, ask them to bring e.g. Susan’s bottle, you will be amazed how quickly they learn who’s belong to whom.

Association:

Association is the ability to match objects or pictures as well as understanding opposites.

A very nice activity to do is to use animals. You can use from insects to wild animals. Get pictures of the animals, e.g. farm animals. (a tip, if you laminate them, they will last) Get plastic animals at any toy store. Put a few pictures out and let the toddlers put the animal on his matching picture.
Use the same activity with different objects (keep in mind that it has to be something that they are familiar with), e.g. blocks, a dummy etc.
Introduce them to opposites, using colorful cards and repetition.
When they help you tidy up after sleepy time, ask them to bring e.g. Susan’s bottle, you will be amazed how quickly they learn who’s belong to whom.

Never mind the talking toys and fancy video games. Preschool number activities require only a dose of imagination and a few household supplies.

As your child begins to master the first few number words, you can also try other preschool number activities for teaching kids about the number line.

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