Have students practice counting with the visual aid of a calendar. Make a pattern using the numbers on the calendar - by making them different colors or adding different shapes around them - to reinforce pattern concept daily.
Instruct your students to use mulit-colored, plastic attachable "unifix" cubes to practice counting and to make color patterns. Teach students to compare numbers by making two unequal stacks of cubes (for instance five and ten) and holding them next to each other. Use the cubes to illustrate number sentences, such as attaching five blue cubes to 3 yellow cubes to show 5 + 3 = 8.
Use pattern blocks - flat brightly-colored shapes - for sorting, creating patterns and making geometric designs. Have students sort blocks by shape, color or number of sides. Tell your students to put the blocks together to make larger shapes or color patterns. Encourage them to create designs by laying pattern blocks next to and on top of each other.
Collect objects like dried beans, buttons, small plastic bears or flat discs to use as counters. Have your students use them to count or to help them mark their places when using a hundreds chart. Teach addition and subtraction, asking students to use the counters to solve number sentences. For example, give students 25 beans, have them move away 7 and tell you how many are left. Continue adding and subtracting, letting the students use the beans to count as you go along.
Have students draw patterns or objects to represent numbers in counting or draw pictures to illustrate addition and subtraction sentences. Give them crayons, colored pencils or markers and plain paper and give them a math problem to draw.
Create opportunities for students to solve open-ended questions that have multiple solutions. Ask questions like, "There are 10 feet in the barn. Some belong to chickens and some belong to horses. How many chickens are there? How many horses?" and discuss possible answers.
Promote discussion of how students arrive at their solutions instead of just praising them for correct answers. Invite students to share various ways they solve math problems. Show them one or two alternate ways to solve particular math problems.