Making math fun in early childhood classrooms

Early math skills have been shown to not only have a strong association with later math skills but are also just as strong of a predictor of later reading ability than early reading skills! In addition, building early math skills can promote better executive functioning, which is critical for children's learning throughout school, problem-solving, and the ability to get along with other children. In fact, children's early math skills have been shown to predict high school graduation rates as well as career opportunities. As such, it is important that we use strategies to promote and support young children's math skills early in their lives.

What math skills matter early in life?

While there isn't a consensus on the math skills that are "most" important for young children to learn, there are multiple foundational skills that appear to be important early in life. Below are some foundational skills that are important for kindergarten readiness and future math skills. Of course, these are not the only math skills that matter, but hopefully this list will provide you with a sense of important skills that you can target in your own classroom.

One-to-one number correspondence

Being able to count is important for young children, but what is even more important is that they are able to count objects. It's great if children can memorize numbers in order; however, it demonstrates more complex thinking to understand that as objects in a group increase, the amount increases as well. You can promote this skill in a number of different ways. For example, you can place small materials like plastic bears into a cup and then spill them onto the table. Encourage a child to touch and slide one bear to the other side of the table while they say "one." Then have them move a second bear over to the other side of the table and say "two," and so on until all of the bears have been counted.

Representation of numbers

Similar to one-to-one number correspondence is the concept that written or spoken numbers represent something tangible. The number "four" represents something different from the number "ten." To help children recognize this you can prompt them to draw a certain number of their favorite animals. Or ask them to picture having dessert with their family and ask how many plates they would need.

Spatial awareness

Another important skill for early childhood is developing an understanding that objects have a specific size and shape. This can be supported by allowing children to explore with puzzles, shapes, and blocks. You can also provide prompting questions and use appropriate terms to support children's understanding of space. For example, ask children what they notice about a specific shape or ask them what is different between two blocks. Another fun activity that can get children thinking about space is to ask them to draw a map of their classroom. This allows children to visualize different objects in relation to others, another key part of spatial awareness!

Pattern recognition

Being able to understand and recognize patterns can help children see how things are connected, make predictions, organize/categorize, and use logic to solve problems. You can help the children in your care see patterns by pointing them out (e.g., noticing a striped shirt) or having them create their own patterns with materials (e.g., long block, short block, long block). Also, you can point out patterns using musical instruments (e.g., loud, soft, loud, soft) and many children's books contain patterns either in both their story and how they're written (e.g., rhyming patterns).

Measurement

Helping young children understand that things like height, length, weight, and even time can all be measured is an important foundational math skill. You can support this skill in a variety of ways including having children measure the length of different objects around the classroom, baking, and comparing objects of different sizes. When measuring length have children use different manipulatives (e.g., one child measures with pencils, another child measures with Lego bricks) and have them compare their results. This also helps children understand how the unit used to measure can change the results!

Other strategies for building math skills in your classroom

Math is all around us and you can incorporate math activities in multiple ways. Below are a few strategies for helping children get excited about math.

Partner work

Have children work in groups to solve problems. For example, if you ask children to build a house out of blocks, they'll have to work collaboratively to decide on which blocks to use, the size of the rooms, etc. This can benefit children's math learning as they are exposed to different ideas and they are encouraged to explain their thinking, as well as promote social-emotional learning through working together appropriately.

Incorporate math into other activities

By drawing attention to math in a variety of activities, children can begin to see just how useful and important it can be. Baking and cooking are wonderful activities that typically require both measuring and counting. Music typically consists of patterns and counting as well. During morning meetings you can use the calendar to demonstrate how many more days until a given holiday or special event. Even outdoor games like hide-and-seek and jumping rope have math elements. By pointing these out to the children in your care through using different math terms (e.g., "measuring," "patterns," "predictions") they will form an appreciation for math.

Promote different problem-solving strategies

Being able to solve problems in more than one way demonstrates a deeper understanding of math concepts. If you have given children in your care a task like measuring the table, point out the different strategies used. For example, some children may measure the height of the table and others may measure the length across. Some children may use their hands to measure while others use materials. When you see a variety of strategies, point this out, as it can help children recognize that there are multiple ways to solve a math problem. Similarly, encourage children in your care to employ a variety of strategies (e.g., "I saw you measured the height of the table with a ruler, how else could we measure the table?").

Encourage a positive attitude toward math and join in!

Sadly, many children decide from an early age that either they are not "good" at math, they don't like math, or both. You can help build a positive attitude toward math both through your words and actions. Try to praise effort instead of results. If you see a child working hard on a math activity let them know you appreciate it. By using math terms and consistently pointing out all of the ways that math is used, children can begin to recognize that many activities that they enjoy incorporate important math skills. Also, don't be afraid to join in the math activities. Children will appreciate you getting on their level to have discussions about their thinking and to have you participate as well. Having these math-based conversations will likely be much more enjoyable for the children in your care compared to having them only complete worksheets. Finally, be conscious of your own attitude toward math. If you display a reluctance to use math or talk about not liking math, the children around you may decide they feel the same way.

To learn more about how you can build math skills and make math fun in your classroom be sure to check out the following Better Kid Care courses:

• "Beyond Counting: Strategies to Support Preschool Math Development"
• "STEAM for the Preschool Programming Engine"
• "Working with Wood - Children Can Do It!"

Author: Benjamin Bayly