Our Executive School Directors worked together to provide our TGS families with various projects that bring the amazing curriculum at our schools to your home. From developing reading skills to participating in music and story time to just making easy, healthy snacks, there are lots of opportunities for learning and interaction with your young children. We hope you enjoy engaging with your children in these creative developmental activities. This post shares our favorite at-home activities to develop important math skills at home.
Infants, Toddlers, and Twos
The Mixed-up Chameleon
This Eric Carle character activity will have your student practicing counting, one-to-one number correspondence, and small motor skills.
You’ll need:
- “Flies” (small black pom poms, Toasted O’s cereal, or raisins.)
- Small, oblong plastic container (such as a Pringles can or a shakeable parmesan cheese container)
- Tape or glue
- Crayons or colored pencils
- Scissors
- Clothespins or tweezers (for older students)
- Copy of chameleon outline
Print out the chameleon outline and either have your child color it or color it for them if they are too young. Cut out the chameleon and tape it on the outside of your container with its mouth facing the opening. Gather the rest of your materials together, and you’re ready to play! Have your child pick up the “flies” one by one using the tweezers or the clothespin and feed the flies to the chameleon, counting up with each new fly. You can request that your child feed the chameleon a certain number of flies, or you can use dice to determine how many flies the chameleon gets. When you are done playing, simply put the “flies” in the container, put the lid on the container, and save the game for next time.
Feed the Caterpillar Math
This math activity provides a hands-on way to help children practice one-to-one correspondence, number recognition, and counting.
You’ll need:
- Recycled cardboard tube from paper towels or wrapping paper
- Green construction paper to cover tube (or green markers or crayons to color the tube)
- Glue and scissors (if using construction paper on tube)
- Pom poms or bits of leaves
- Dice
- Hole punch (optional)
- Chenille stem (optional)
Depending on the age of your child, you may want to involve them in covering the cardboard tubes to create the pretend caterpillar. For younger students, you may choose to make the caterpillar ahead of time. If you do not have construction paper, color your cardboard tube green. If using construction paper, cut the construction paper to the size needed for your tube and glue it onto the cardboard tube. At the end of one side of the tube, punch two small holes side-by-side. Then feed the small piece of chenille stem upward through the holes, twisting them once to represent the antenna.
Next, review the numbers on the die. Have younger children roll a die and help them identify the number. Your child can then count out the correct number of pom poms or leaves. Feeding the caterpillar provides another opportunity to count. As each pom pom or leaf snack is placed in the caterpillar’s mouth, count aloud together.
Plant a Number Line
Children will practice counting, number recognition, and fine motor skills.
You’ll need:
- Cardboard tube (from paper towels or wrapping paper)
- Popsicle sticks (colored or painted green)
- Cupcake liners, craft foam flowers, or cardboard circles (the “flowers”)
- Dark marker
- Craft knife or sharp scissors
Write the numbers onto the “flowers” (the cupcake liners, foam flowers, cardboard circles). Glue the “flowers” onto one end of each of the sticks. Make holes in the cardboard roll for the sticks to fit. Space slits 1.5 inches apart from each other. Write the numbers under the holes on the tube (1-5 for beginners or more numbers for older children). “Plant” the flowers in the correct holes in the number line.
Count the flowers, starting at number one, by pointing to each flower. Now your child’s brain will make the connection between the verbal and written letter names, giving them a bigger picture than just rote counting. Let your older children practice counting backwards or practice skip counting using the number line.
Nature Walk and Count
This activity will reinforce number sequence and counting skills while you enjoy the outdoors with a loved one.
You’ll need:
- Nature walk and count sheet
- Pencil
- A nice day
Print the nature walk and count sheet. Prior to leaving the house, review with your child all of the items you will be counting along your walk. While walking, help your child find each of the items on the list, increasing in number as you spot more of the same item. After the walk, you can review and re-count each of the items. To adjust this activity for older children, add simple addition or subtraction questions like: “How many butterflies and birds were there in total?” or “How many more trees did we see than squirrels?”
Caterpillar Counting
You’ll need:
Caterpillar Counting helps to improve number awareness, counting, and one-to-one correspondence.
- Paper (cut into strips about 2″ x 8.5″)
- Marker or pen
- Items to count with (pom poms, Cheerios, M&Ms, beads, etc.)
After cutting the paper into strips, create caterpillars on each strip by drawing a circle for the head and then circles to create the body segments. Decorate the head with a face and then add strips of paper to make the body segments of the caterpillar. The caterpillars should be varying sizes, with some having a single body segment and other caterpillars having two, three, or even four body segments. With new learners, start with numbers 1-5. With older children, use higher numbers. Once all the caterpillars are made, you can enjoy counting the body parts, putting counters (pom poms, Cheerios, M&M’s, etc.) in each section of the body, and comparing the relative sizes of all the caterpillars.
Earth Math
This activity will help familiarize your child with numbers and counting using various small items.
You’ll need:
- Sectioned veggie or chip and dip bowl (Or put 4-6 small bowls side by side)
- Various items found in nature (You’ll need nine or more of each individual item, such as rocks, pinecones, seashells, or sticks.)
- Other items to fill the slots in your sectioned bowl (numbered playing cards, dice, sudoku tiles, magnetic numbers)
Use each section of the bowl to hold a different item you’ve collected, and be sure to have 9 or more pieces per item. Allow your child to explore the various items, talk about the pieces, and count the pieces. For older children, you can pair counted items with the correct numeral or do simple addition.
Counting Sensory Bin
To increase your child’s familiarity with numbers, counting, sequencing and one-to-one correspondence, try this sensory bin.
You’ll need:
- A plastic bin or large plastic bowl
- Cotton balls
- Number magnets or paper numbers
- If you do not have number magnets or other pre-made numbers, you can write numbers on small pieces of paper or Post-Its
Scatter cotton balls and numbers in a plastic bin. Allow your child to explore the bin. Talk about each of the numbers as they take them out of the bin. Count up to that number. For older children, create a number line on the table as they pull out the numbers. You can then pair the appropriate number of cotton balls with the corresponding numeral.
Threes, Fours, and Pre-K
Rainbow Graph
Your child will improve fine motor skills and practice the concept of a bar graph while building a rainbow.
You’ll need:
- Magazines
- Blank paper
- Glue
- Scissors
- Markers
Using a black marker, draw a rainbow on the blank paper. Then, ask your child to cut out objects from the magazine or patches of color that match the colors of the rainbow (purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, or other colors they want to include). Finally, glue the like-colored patches together and fill in the rainbow.
Homemade Scale
Your child will enjoy using this rudimentary scale to determine what the relative weight of household items.
You’ll need:
- Two plastic cups
- String
- Clothes hanger with notches
- Various items around the house that will fit inside the cup and have different sizes and weights (small toys, small rocks, flowers, or any other items that are safe for your child to use).
- Hole punch
Punch two holes in each cup underneath the rim of the cup. The two holes should be across from each other across the diameter of the cup. Use the string to hang each cup on either side of the clothes hanger. This creates a scale to weigh objects inside the cup. Ask questions about objects before putting them in the cups, such as: “Which item do you think will be heavier?” or “Will the cup go up or down when we place the item in it?” Try items that are large but light and compare them to smaller items that are dense and heavy.
Building 3-D Shapes
Help children recognize the difference between 3-D and 2-D shapes with an introduction to learning about vertices.
You’ll need:
- Marshmallows, Play-doh, or jellybeans
- Toothpicks
Build shapes by sticking each end of the toothpick in marshmallows, jellybeans, or Play-doh. Continue until a fun shape or shapes are created.
Number Climb
This activity can be used to enhance number recognition, teach ordinal numbers, and review simple addition or subtraction.
You’ll need:
- Paper
- Tape
- Markers
- A set of stairs (if you don’t have stairs, use an open area of the house and spread numbers apart)
Using the paper and markers, make a number card for each number from 1-10. Place the numbers in random order on the stairs (or around an open space) using tape. Then, call out numbers and have your child climb to the correct one. You could also use sidewalk chalk to write the numbers on outside steps or in a large open area like a driveway.
Hopscotch Toss
Help your child identify numbers and add them together.
You’ll need:
- Chalk (if outside) or tape (if inside)
- Something to toss to mark the space (small beanbag, small rock, small toy, game piece, etc.)
Create a hopscotch game on the sidewalk, driveway, or indoor floor with numbers 1-6. Your child can toss the beanbag or other small item, identify the number, and hop to the spot. You can extend the activity and make it more challenging by tossing multiple beanbags and adding the two numbers together!
Easy Mug Chocolate Cake
Math can be delicious! With this recipe, your child can practice measuring varying quantities and following step-by-step instructions.
You’ll need:
- 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips
- 3 1/2 tbsp. milk
- 3 1/2 tbsp. flour
- 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- microwave-safe coffee mug
Measure milk chocolate chips and pour them into the bottom of the mug. Add milk and melt for 30-45 seconds. Stir chocolate chips and milk together until smooth. Add additional ingredients and stir until smooth. Microwave for 1 minute, and let stand until cool. Enjoy!
Fun With Math
We hope you enjoy these fun math activities that make spending time together with your preschooler even more special. The Gardner School provides your child with a daily schedule that sparks their learning and supports their intellectual, social, and physical growth. Schedule a tour to see our beautiful learning spaces in action.