Math manipulatives include a variety of hands-on materials that help kids count, make patterns or build shapes. The manipulatives give the kids a concrete way to interact with the math concepts and make math instruction enjoyable. Counters, such as little plastic bears, are often used in pre-K. The small objects teach the kids to count and also work for patterning. The teacher starts a pattern with two different colors of bear counters for the child to finish. Blocks work for counting, making groups of 10 and creating patterns if the blocks are different colors. Sets of tangram tiles introduce shapes to preschoolers. A tangram set comes with seven shapes, including triangles, a square and a parallelogram, which are rearranged in different patterns to create various larger shapes. Math manipulatives are available commercially, but regular classroom materials also work. For example, the blocks from the building center can double as math counters.
The typical preschool classroom incorporates lots of books and reading to support literacy development. Using children's books in math instruction serves double duty -- teaching both math concepts and developing knowledge about literacy. Books that incorporate counting, order, patterns, shapes and other basic math concepts introduce the ideas to the young students. The classroom library is a suitable place to highlight these books, but teachers often read the books aloud as part of math instruction. Number and counting books aren't the only options. A book like "Max Found Two Sticks" by Brian Pinkney incorporates ideas into the storyline. In Pinkney's book, a boy uses sticks to recreate rhythms and patterns in sounds he hears in the environment.
Many games and play opportunities already present in the preschool classroom support math concepts. Teachers can use these materials with an emphasis on the math aspect to teach the concepts to the young students. Games for young children often use shapes, colors and counting as part of the game play. Candyland uses colors to identify moves, with some turns requiring the child to move to a second square of the same color. Other board games use dice or spinners to indicate the number of squares to move. A building center encourages kids to use blocks of various shapes and sizes to construct objects. The kids may naturally compare sizes of the structures.
Authentic experiences that happen in the real world reinforce math concepts for young students. A measuring cup introduces the idea of volume and measurements. A thermometer outside the classroom helps preschoolers recognize numbers, read the thermometer and talk about increasing and decreasing numbers. A restaurant menu in the dramatic play area or a classroom store with prices on the items introduces the idea of money. These real-world math activities work well for specific math activities and in learning centers for free play where preschoolers make their own connections.