Provide students with a variety of items to count in the math center. Store small items in plastic bags, small boxes or covered plastic containers. Items such as beads, pompoms, marbles, toy animals or cars, and blocks are all items that students will enjoy counting. Pennies, buttons, seashells and pipe cleaners are also good items for students to count in the math center. Provide blocks for building and counting. Include dice and ask students to count the dots.
Preschool students are beginning to learn how to sort and group objects according to various characteristics, including size, color and weight. Provide students with items to help them learn these valuable skills. Many of the items used for counting may be used for sorting activities by simply mixing objects together; for example, mix the container of beads and marbles together, and ask your students to sort them. Alternatively, give students pipe cleaners of various lengths and ask them to sort them based on size. Teach students how to put items in order from largest to smallest with buttons of different sizes. Teach color recognition by asking students to sort pompoms by color, or use toy cars or plastic toy animals for similar sorting and grouping activities. Empty cereal containers, drink cans and bottles are also useful for sorting, grouping and ordering activities, and double as toys to use in your dramatic play center.
Teach students about shapes with toys in the math center. Choose shapes cut from cardstock or made of plastic for students to play with. Include paper and pencil for students to practice tracing the shapes. For a creative art activity, provide sponges cut into shapes, along with finger paints and paper. Give students play dough for making shapes. Ask students to find shapes in books or pictures.
Teach measuring skills by including rulers and measuring tapes in the math and toy centers. Provide items to measure, such as pencils, books, shoes, paper and toys. Include yarn or string for measuring. Small items like pencils, pens or paper clips may also be included. Encourage students to measure their favorite toys around the classroom using rulers and measuring tapes.