The Best Math Activity Ideas to Do with Preschoolers

In 2018, TI Education Technology carried out a survey on 1000 students, and the results were not so shocking. According to the survey, about 24% of students hate math, while about 30% are indifferent to it. The reason for this statistic isn’t so far-fetched. More often than not, when we teach math to our kids, we follow textbook rules and a standard curriculum. While this isn’t entirely a bad idea, the monotony of such lessons could bore your kid and make them hate math. But who says math has to be boring and rigid? For a parent, there are tons of ways in which you can enliven each math lesson and make it a fun experience for your preschooler.

One great option is to choose a maths tutor website. Brighterly offers a wide range of tutoring services to help your preschooler become better at math. However, if you feel like taking on the challenge yourself, here are some great preschool math activities to try out.

Roll and Cross

Want to teach your preschooler how to count and recognize numbers? This fun activity will turn each preschool math activity into a fun experience for your kid.

What you need: Two dice, a sheet of paper, and some markers.

How to play: To kickstart this activity, write the numbers 1-12 on a sheet of paper. It’s advisable to laminate this paper so you can use it as many times as you like. Once you’ve written down the numbers, let your kid roll the dice and cross off the corresponding number from the list. For instance, if the dice lands on the number 4, a kid has to cross it off. The activity ends when they’ve crossed off all the numbers.

This game is even more fun with multiple players. If you have more than one kid, they can take turns rolling the dice and crossing off numbers. The player who crosses off the highest amount of numbers wins.

Burst Your Number

If you’re looking to create a fun math lesson for preschoolers, this activity is a great choice to start with. Just like the previous one, it teaches number recognition, and in no time at all, your preschooler should be able to recognize and identify numbers on the spot.

What you need: Balloons (as many as you’d like) and some colorful markers.

How to play: Grab some colorful balloons and blow them up with your preschooler. Remember to step in if they’re struggling with blowing up the balloons. Once all balloons are ready, mark each one with a number (preferably 1 to 10 or 20, depending on how many balloons you’ve got).

Next, call out a number and ask your child to pop the balloon with the said number. If your preschooler has no prior knowledge of numbers, it may take a while for them to get the hang of it, so you’ll need to practice parental patience.

The activity ends when all balloons have been popped. While the game lasts, ensure that kids don’t use an overly sharp object to pop the balloons.

Sorting Candy Shapes

Geometry is an integral part of math. Thus, it’s important to properly introduce your preschooler to this subject. A great way to pull this off is by introducing a kid to shapes early on and teaching them how to recognize different shapes.

What you need: Candy in different shapes (jelly beans, M&Ms, etc).

How to play: Pour out all the candies onto a tray, bowl, or any flat surface. Ask your kid to sort them out according to their shapes. For instance, circle-shaped candies should be grouped into one pile, while star-shaped ones go into another pile. Once everything has been sorted out, your kid could help themselves to some candy as a reward for the activity.

P.S. Since this activity involves a lot of candy, you’re sure to encounter more than a few sticky hands. Be sure to keep a bowl of water nearby to help kids get the hands clean once you’re done.

Shape Wheel

This is yet another fun activity to help your kid learn all about shapes. The best part? Just like in other games, the materials needed for this activity are probably already available in your home.

What you need: Clothespins, cardboard, and some colored pencils or crayons.

How to play: Cut the cardboard into a large circle. Next, using colored pencils or crayons, draw a wheel and different shapes into each section. Try to keep it basic yet exhaustive by including all the shapes a kid will most likely remember (e.g. triangle, circle, square, rectangle, etc).

Next, draw these shapes onto the clothespins as well. Once the clothespins are all done, have your child match each clothespin to the corresponding shape on the wheel. Ensure that they say the shape out loud as they match it.

This fun activity not only helps kids recognize shapes but also builds their fine motor skills.

Roll the Dice

Just like the Roll and Cross activity, this game teaches kids how to count and recognize numbers. However, this one goes a step further to teach them a little bit about the probability and improve their fine motor skills.

What you need: Dice, a large cardboard, and some colorful dots.

How to play: Draw a large table onto the cardboard and mark each section with a number(1,2,3,4, and so on). Next, have your kid roll the dice. Once they’ve done this, they need to place the colorful dot underneath the number the dice landed on. For instance, if the dot landed on the number 4, they get to place the dot under the number 4. Then, kids would keep rolling and keep track of how many times each number is rolled.

Final Thoughts

Need preschool teaching ideas? These fun math activities will teach your preschooler basic math concepts and make each lesson a fun experience for them. Hopefully, these ideas help.

Good luck!