Everyday conversation offers plenty of opportunities to talk about math, but many people miss those openings. Look for examples of math in your child's life and expand on them. Introduce the idea of comparison by saying, "Look! You have more juice than me. My glass has less juice in it." When you see a pattern, you can ask your child what would come next. When he plays with his toys, he might naturally line them up from biggest to smallest, group them by characteristics or add two piles together. As you watch him play, point out the natural math skills he's using.
Math often gains a reputation for being boring. Worksheets aren't necessary to work on math skills at home. Instead, use creative activities to reinforce concepts, such as patterns and shapes. Cut out lots of different shapes from colored paper and have your little learner use them to create a picture. A similar idea is to use the shapes to make colorful patterns. Let your child glue the shapes onto a large piece of paper to show the pattern. Stamps or stickers give him a way to represent numbers or simple math problems. For example, he might use a group of two stickers, a group of three stickers and a group of five stickers to show that two plus three equals five.
Games are entertaining for young kids and often include basic math concepts. Most board games involve counting as you move around the spaces. Give your little one a chance to count his own squares as he plays. Dice and playing cards work well to create your own math games with your child. Flip over two cards and have your child tell you which one is bigger. Roll three dice and have him order them from biggest to smallest.
The gadgets around your home that relate to numbers, measuring and other math concepts give you a tool for reinforcing math ideas. Examples include clocks, rulers, measuring cups and thermometers. Instead of telling your child he's too young to understand, explain those gadgets to him. While cooking, you can show him the numbers on the measuring cup and explain that you use it to get the correct amount. If he sees you using a tape measure, let him use it to measure different objects around the house. He doesn't have to get the measurements exact.