• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Feels Like Home™ logo

  • Shop
    • Christianity Downloads
    • Family Downloads
    • Food & Cooking Downloads
    • Hobbies & Crafts Downloads
    • Learning Downloads
  • Blog
  • Family
    • Parenting
    • Holidays & Celebrations
    • Marriage
    • Kids activities
      • Kids Crafts
      • Christmas Crafts for Toddlers & Preschoolers
      • Christmas Crafts for Kids
      • Christmas Crafts for Tweens & Teens
    • Learning
      • Reading & Writing
      • STEM
  • Faith
    • Bible Study
    • Encouragement
  • Recipes
    • Comfort Food
    • Eating after Bariatric Surgery
    • Gluten-Free
    • Recipes for Foodie Kids
    • Quick & Easy Weeknight Meals
  • Health
    • Mental Health
      • Hobbies & Crafts
      • Self-Care
    • Physical Health
      • Bariatric Surgery
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • SHOP
  • RECIPES
  • FAMILY
  • FAITH
  • HEALTH
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    See More:   Family Kids activities Learning Parenting Preschoolers Reviews STEM

    Last Modified: May 25, 2022 by Tara Ziegmont 9 Comments

    20 Ways to Get Preschoolers Excited About Math

    119FacebookMessenger20.9kPinterestTwitterWhatsAppEmail
    21k
    SHARES

    A happy preschooler smiling at the cameraPin

    I have mentioned before (many times) that Grace resists "school time" every day.

    Because my earliest homeschool lessons were boring and repetitive (because I was strictly following the Calvert curriculum that was at least a year behind her ability), she associates school time with boring and repetitive.

    It's hugely unfortunate, and I haven't been able to break that association in the three years since.

    At the same time, Grace wallows in informal learning like an elated pig in a big mud hole. She can't get enough of her lapbooks and nature walks and science experiments and mazes and brain teasers and educational apps. It's amazing.

    She has even grown to like reading - as long as it's not the stories in her Calvert reader - and writing - as long as it's not an assignment.

    I have to carefully plan to get all the different subjects worked creatively into our days. I know there's a time when she'll have to "do school" simply because she has to, but for now, I'm trying really hard to rebuild her innate desire to learn.

    Along the same lines, Allie just likes to play. She's 2. She likes to count and do puzzles and sing and play on the iPad. She loves to watch tv and listen to music.

    There's no way I'm going to "do school" with Allie, but I do want to foster her love of learning before she gets to that point.

    This post is sponsored by PBS Kids' new show Peg + Cat.

    peg + cat

    Because it's on PBS KIDS, I feel confident that Peg + Cat will meet my high standards for content and quality. In the new series, premiering October 7, Peg and her sidekick, Cat, embark on adventures, solve problems, and learn math concepts and skills.

    Math isn't just about counting. Each episode of Peg + Cat features a story in which Peg and Cat encounter a problem that requires them to use math and problem-solving skills to move forward. The storylines also teach cooperation, perseverance, and resiliency - traits that are important both in and out of the classroom.

    20 Ways to Get Preschoolers Excited About Math

    1. Preschool Math GamesPin
      Math Manipulatives for Play - We have a variety of math manipulatives, primarily for Grace's schooling, but I get them out and let both Grace and Allie play with them however they want. In the photo above, Grace is playing with Base Ten Blocks, and Allie is playing with fraction circles. They also love their rainbow fraction tray, 3D shapes, and their Unifix cubes. (All of these manipulatives have very small pieces, so use caution with your littles.)
    2. The Best Educational Apps for iPadPin
      iPad and iPhone games
      - I have written about apps over and over (and have a couple of posts coming up in October!), but our favorite toddler math apps include Park Math, TeachMe: Toddlers, and Monkey Preschool Lunchbox.
    3. A bowl of Jelly beansPin
      Count with Candy 
      - We have done all kinds of candy-based math activities for "school time," but many of them can be adapted for preschoolers. You can count jelly beans, candy corn, candy hearts, or gummy bears, sort them by color or shape, use them to make patterns, taste test them, and use them to for fine motor practice (by picking them up with tweezers or a spoon). Tina at Mamas Like Me did something similar with marshmallows, and Shaunna from Fantastic Fun and Learning did it with vegetables.
    4. A dry erase activity book for preschoolersPin
      Make a dry erase activity book
      - This is for older preschoolers, not quite for Allie yet, but Grace loved hers for a long time. She draws in it even now, and she's 6. I printed coloring and number and pattern pages to put inside, and Grace worked on them over and over.
    5. how to make a geoboardPin
      Play with a geoboard 
      - We made our geoboard at home, but you can also buy geoboard on Amazon. They're really cheap, so I'm not sure I'd make one if I had it to do all over again. You use rubber bands to make shapes - numbers, letters, geometric shapes, even pictures like houses. We've had a lot of fun with our geoboard.
    6. A little girl sitting at a table stirring foodPin
      Cook together 
      - Kids can begin helping in the kitchen as soon as they can stand up. You can count scoops or spoonfuls, you can count the seconds while you stir, you can talk about colors. I cannot think of a single recipe that my kids can't help with. One of our favorites, though, is apple crisp.
    7. counting craft for preschoolersPin
      Make counting art - 
      When Grace was 4, we made a 100 poster. Allie might like to make a 5 poster at this point. You know your own tot, so make whatever seems appropriate. Basically, we glued objects onto a poster and wrote each number next to each object. Simple, fun, and helped a lot with number awareness.
    8. preschool math gamesPin
      Jump around - 
      I love this jumping game from Learn ~ Play ~ Imagine. Basically, she drew clouds with numbers inside and had her tot jump from one number to the next. It looks like fun! I found a similar game from Emma at P is for Preschool (shared at TeachMama).
    9. preschool math gamesPin
      Make your own manipulatives
      - Cathy from Nurture Store created a bunch of activities around a set of circles she cut from craft foam. Allie would love this! Mary Catherine from fun-a-day also has a post with (mostly) homemade manipulatives on 1 to 1 correspondence and another with rock shapes, Play Dr. Mom shares a variety of counting activities using manipulatives from around the house.
    10. A collage of math gamesPin

      Clothespin numbers
      - I never saw this before, but I love the idea, and I think Allie would love it, too. Annette from Tips from a Typical Mom shared a printable number game where kids pin clothespins onto big number cards.
    11. A box on a wooden tablePin
      Do monster math 
      - This is another from Cathy from Nurture Store, and I love it! She made number-eating monsters, and her girls had fun feeding numbers to the monsters. For littler ones, they could identify the color or the number they're feeding the monster. We are definitely going to do this one.
    12. Feet cut out of construction paperPin
      Count your feet - 
      This is an awesome activity from Jillian at A Mom with a Lesson Plan that involves tracing your tot's feet. Allie will really like this one, too.
    13. A giant abacus for preschoolers and toddlersPin
      Make a giant abacus 
      - Anna at The Imagination Tree made a giant abacus with beads and string and a huge cardboard box. It looks awesome. Forget the kids; I want to play with it.
    14. Put the fire out game for little kidsPin
      Play with "fire hoses" 
      - Julie from Creekside Learning did a fun activity where she drew houses with numbers inside, and her son put out the fires with water.
    15. counting and patterning Pin
      String beads - Anna at The Imagination Tree shared an activity that I was actually planning to do with Allie (too bad she thought of it first!). She had her wee ones string beads on spaghetti to make patterns. Allie would totally love that.
    16. Color by number in the showerPin
      Paint by number
      - Allison at Learn ~ Play ~ Imagine did a really fun paint by number activity - in the shower! My kids would go crazy for this!
    17. Play dough numbersPin
      Make cupcakes
      - Rebecca at Here Comes the Girls made play dough cupcakes with her girls and helped them put big number candles on each one. Then the fun began as they put the right number of objects (sprinkles, feathers, regular candles) on each cupcake.
    18. learning math for preschoolersPin
      Simon Says 
      - Kristi at Creative Connections for Kids has a really fun way of playing Simon Says with numbers. Check it out.
    19. learning math for preschoolersPin
      Go for a walk 
      - Go on a shape scavenger hunt like Chelsey from Buggy and Buddy.
    20. peg + catPin
      Watch tv
      - Everyone needs downtime. Sometimes I have things to clean or phone calls to make. I've started having a quiet time during my breakfast in the morning. I allow my girls to watch tv during some of those times. Until now, our only programs that include math concepts have been Team Umizoomi and a LeapFrog DVD (which we love), but we're really excited for the brand new show called Peg + Cat.

    Getting preschoolers excited about math isn't - and shouldn't ever be - about adding numbers on worksheets. Kids this age need movement and manipulatives and fun, not papers and pencils. The activities above will get you and your preschoolers moving along in the right direction by getting them interested and excited in math concepts without drilling the fun of math right out of their little brains.

    I can't wait to see what you come up with!

    Collage of preschool math photosPinShape toys for kidsPin

    A close up of a kids\' abacusPin

    A collage of preschool photosPin

    119FacebookMessenger20.9kPinterestTwitterWhatsAppEmail
    21k
    SHARES

    More Family

    • How to Make Astronaut Pudding
    • How to Dye Easter Eggs with Food Coloring
    • The Best 45+ Tween, Teen & Adult Games for Family Game Night
    • How to Introduce an Elf on the Shelf Plus 26 Creative & Fun Elf Ideas

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. JDaniel4's Mom says

      October 07, 2013 at 7:26 am

      My son is so excited about Peg + Cat. He has been watching clips of it on PBSKids.org.

      Reply
      • Tara Ziegmont says

        October 07, 2013 at 5:28 pm

        What did he think? No one was home but me, but I was so curious I watched for a bit. They use AWESOME vocabulary!

        Reply
        • Kelsey Cole says

          December 05, 2013 at 4:21 pm

          Those characters are originally from a book called "The Chicken Problem" by Jennifer Oxley. It's a fabulous book! You should check it out from your library!

          Reply
    2. Emma says

      October 07, 2013 at 7:53 am

      I love these fun ways to explore numbers! Thanks for compiling this list!

      Reply
    3. Karyn says

      October 07, 2013 at 9:24 am

      Great post! Off to pin it 🙂

      Reply
    4. Kristen says

      November 11, 2013 at 2:25 pm

      What great ideas, my middle daughter (who is only almost 4) absolutely hates anything to do with school...she won't even be in the same room as her sister when she is doing schoolwork!

      Reply
    5. Mary Catherine says

      June 06, 2014 at 1:20 pm

      What a great resource! Thanks so much for including my rocks and 1-to-1 posts here with such great suggestion!

      Reply
    6. Fiftarina says

      October 19, 2014 at 4:00 am

      What a nice selection of fantastic ideas. My son loves counting, i bet he'll love it even more with these activities. I especially love being the fire fighter play.

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Tara.

    Harrisburg PA mom blogger Tara Ziegmont
    I am passionate about helping women to care for themselves and their families physically, emotionally, and spiritually by making time for what matters most through a combination of delectable recipes, Christian inspiration, and family fun. If you're tired of feeling so weary and uninspired, you're in the right place. I'm so glad you're here!
    Read more about me...

    Facebook Twitter Pinterest Instagram LinkedIn email me subscribe

    Popular Recipes

    • Cheeseburger Soup from Taste of Home
    • Cracker Barrel Copycat Fried Apples
    • Sweet Balsamic Pork Roast in the Instant Pot
    • Couldn't Be Easier Cherry Pie

    Food with an Instant Pot in the background

    AS SEEN ON

    a list of the websites where Tara Ziegmont has been featured

    Popular Bible Studies

    • A Grateful Heart - 2 week printable study
    • 10 Bible Verses on Anger
    • 13 Bible Verses on Disappointment
    • 50 Bible Verses Every Christian Should Know
    • 10 Bible Verses to Overcome Worry

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions

    As seen on

    a list of the websites where Tara Ziegmont has been featured

    Contact Tara


    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my full disclosure policy.

    Copyright © 2022 Feels Like Home Blog

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Do not sell my personal information.
    SettingsAccept
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT