Children are expected to be able to count to 10 before they start school. Teach your child to count up to 3 and then to 5. Soon he will be able to count to 10. Play counting games with your child like counting household items. Empty the silverware drawer and have your child count all the spoons and forks. Another counting game is to count the horses or cows seen on a car trip. If your child knows colors he can count the cars he sees that are a certain color. While grocery shopping, have your child count items that are the same.
Sorting by shape, color and size help children learn geometry. Have your child look around the house and start to identify items that are rectangles, triangles, circles and stars. At laundry time, have your child sort the socks by color and then match them. Take it one step further and have him count them by color. Another sorting game is to have your child unpack the groceries and line up the items according to size. Ask him which ones are smaller, which are larger and which are the same.
Recognizing patterns is an essential math skill. The key is for the child to learn to continue the patterns. Start by creating a simple pattern using forks and spoons. Have your child copy the pattern. Or take two different snacks like carrots and celery and create a pattern, then have your child attempt to recreate that pattern. For the children who master this concept, create a pattern of two or three colors of beads on a string and have your child continue the pattern to the end of the string.