Patterning is a math concept that is introduced in preschool and mastered through the early elementary years. Manipulatives are a fun way to ensure children grasp a firm understanding of this concept. Materials that come in different shapes and color, like crayons, color-coated chocolate, plastic toys and colored feathers, can be used as manipulatives for patterning.
This game is best played in small groups of four or five children. Hold up a card that displays a pattern that players must create using the manipulative you have provided them. The player who replicates the pattern displayed on the card the quickest earns a point. The game proceeds until all the cards have been displayed. The player with the most points wins.
Turn your students into fishermen with this fun math activity suggested by Perpetual Preschool. Purchase toy fishing rods from a department or toy store. On the end of the fishing line, attach a magnet. Create two sets of cards. On one set, display numerals; on the other, display a different amounts of shapes. The amount of shapes displayed on the shape cards should correspond to the numbers written on the numeral cards. At the top of the shape cards, punch holes and affix paper clips. Place the shape cards on the floor face up. To play, children pull from the deck of numeral cards. Using their fishing rods, they must "catch" the card that has the amount of shapes that corresponds with the number on the numeral card. For example, if a numeral card with "5" is pulled, the player has to "catch" the card that has five shapes on it. Players are allotted a specific amount of time, perhaps five minutes, to catch as many shape cards as they can. When time is up, the player with the most shape cards wins.
Develop shape recognition by sending children on a shape search. Prior to playing the game, hide different shaped items around the room, such as blocks or construction paper cut-outs. Review the different shapes students have learned before sending them off on their hunt. Once you've completed your review, hand out paper bags and inform students that they will be searching the room to find as many shapes as they can. Also inform them that they will only have a certain amount of time. When they hear a buzzer ring, the game is over. Allow play for as long as you deem fit. When the game is over, let the students assemble on a rug or at a table. The child who found the most shapes wins.