What Is Math?
A child's understanding of shape naming, counting skills, and naming numbers.
How Can I Teach This At Home?
Playing
1. Have children play with different size and shaped blocks. This will help them learn shapes, as they can visualize a tangible object.
2. Compare the sizes of blocks with your child that have a similar shape.
3. Have children play with Legos. This will help them understand spatial context - including the idea of building/engineering and objects being differently sized (e.g., smaller or larger).
4. Count groups of objects together with your child.
Reading
1. Read books that feature different numbers in order so children learn how to number 1-10.
2. Read books with different shapes! Point out the shapes as they appear in the book.
Singing
1. Sing the "Five Green and Speckled Frogs Song" with your child!
2. Sing "The Ants Go Marching Song" together with your child.
Talking
1. Talk to your child about shapes when you see them! This will help them associate the shapes they see and know about with their real-world counterparts.
2. Encourage children to count on their fingers to learn the order of basic 1-10 counting.
3. Point to numbers on signs like address and ask, "What number is that?".
Writing
1. Have children draw different shapes.
2. Practice writing numbers with your children so they can learn the different shapes.
Skills Checklist
Where Do I Start?
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Call Number: EASY DEANISBN: 9780062110589Publication Date: 2012
Need More?
The catalog for the Waco-McLennan County Library is available here!
If you want to search for more resources in our catalog in this subject, we suggest you search for the following subject headings:
For more assistance with searching and locating items held by the Waco-McLennan County Library, use our Ask a Librarian feature available on our catalog website or stop in to one of our branches!
The Waco-McLennan County Library provides patrons with access to resources through our Electronic Resources page, which can be found here. Suggested databases are listed below:
Did You Know?
Throughout history, different cultures have used shapes as a way to represent different things. For example, Celtics used the symbol of a circle for protection, Chinese represented the balance of heaven and earth with circles and squares, and certain Native American tribes used the circle to represent various things, including the seasons, the stages of life, and different elements of nature.
Online Resources
There are many different online resources for early literacy - and we know it can be overwhelming. The following apps, blogs/newsletters, videos, and websites are some of the materials we would recommend to learn more about math!
APPS
1. 123 Toddler Games for 2+ Years
2. Kids Learning - My First Numbers Counting Game
3. Match Games for Kids Toddlers
4. Monster Math: Kids Fun Games
5. Shape Games for Kids Toddlers
BLOGS/NEWSLETTERS
2. Teach Preschool: Mathematics
VIDEOS
