Get a small muffin tin or empty egg carton, along with several small items. Use these props to engage the child in sorting activities. There are many different games you can play to teach your child this necessary skill.
Have your child sort the small items into like categories, such as items of the same size or even items that have the same color. After your child has correctly sorted each item, have her count what is in each place and write that number down.
Create a number chart. Use a poster board and make 10 equal squares. Label each square one through 10.
Have your child find identical items for each square and glue them in place. For example, one penny will go in the square with the number one, two cotton balls will go in the place of the number two and so on. This will give your child a visual perspective of how many items make up each number.
Use shaving cream numbers. Part of learning math skills also involved learning how to write the numbers. This can be a challenging task for any preschooler. Instead of having your children write their numbers over and over again with paper and pencil, let them have a bit of fun with shaving cream.
Use shaving cream on the table (put down a vinyl tablecloth first) and have your child practice writing each number. Another idea is to use pudding. This is messy, but it is also safe if your child decides to put his fingers in his mouth.