Shape sorters and flashcards are good ways to help children learn their shapes but are not the only tools parents can use to accomplish this task. Shapes are all around children and parents can make a game out of identifying shapes in everyday objects. At home children are asked to look for different shapes and report back to parents where they have found them. The same can be done in a grocery store, on a car trip, at a doctors office or anywhere else a child may be.
Counting is a fundamental early math skill. Children learn their numbers and count them in order by playing games in which they count anything they see. When reading a book they count how many people, animals, or specific objects are on the page. When going for a walk children count how many houses they pass by. When going for a car ride children count how many red, blue, or green cars they see. Children learn to count at snack time by counting how many animal crackers they have, or at bedtime by counting their stuffed animals. There are numerous items children can count and the more creative parents are the more fun children will have.
Number identification activities can take many shapes. Connect the numbered dots coloring pages help a child learn to identify numbers. Playing games in which a child tells a parent the correct number whenever he sees one help as well. Number identification activities can be done almost anywhere. Children visually see numbers on clocks, calendars, in cars, on road signs and in grocery stores. Wherever a number is visible there is an opportunity to build early math skills.
Allowing a child to help with cooking or baking is an opportunity to build up their math skills. When a child helps to measure ingredients for recipes he learns concepts such as volume and weight. He also learns concepts such as more and less; for instance he will see that a half a cup of milk is less than a cup of water, and a tablespoon of sugar is more than a teaspoon of salt.
Teaching a child about patterns is done in a variety of ways. Children can learn through games in which they are shown a pattern and have to identify what comes next. Ask children to create their own pattern, or have them tell parents what the pattern is.