The Ultimate Collection of Preschool Math Activities

Inside: Preschool math activities do not need to be complicated. Every day there are opportunities to expose young children to math in fun, hands-on ways!

Preschool math activities can feel overwhelming, especially when you are trying to figure out what part of your day to place them. Believe me, I’ve tweaked our schedule so much in the past 19 years!

I tried math trays during centers time, large group math activities during circle time, and even math activities during small groups time.

Eventually I came to a perfect solution, which I will share later in this post.

What is the best approach for offering preschool math activities?

Let me just get it out there that I did not like math as a child. Now, that was a long time ago, and thankfully teaching has come a long ways. But forcing a child to sit and do worksheets and flashcards can be boring. In fact, some children will quickly decide they don’t want to have anything to do with it.

I am a strong believer in allowing young children to use their five senses during learning activities, math included.

They could be sitting and staring at numbers on a sheet of paper, or on an index card, OR they could be exploring numbers while sorting, measuring, counting, reading, singing and cooking.

They could be counting the pieces that are involved in an art project, or while putting together shape puzzles with friends, or using the play cash register in the dramatics area.

Math can be done at school or at home, indoors and out, while on a walk around the neighborhood, even while in the grocery store.

I do use some printable math activities in my classroom (see the link towards the end of this post for some freebies), but I am very mindful that these are to be included with other hands-on manipulative activities.

Preschool Math Activities

When is the best time to offer preschool math activities?

If you were to walk into my preschool classroom, you’d notice learning taking place all over the classroom, and not just at one part of our day.

I mentioned above that I’ve tried math trays during centers time, large group math activities during circle time, and math games during small groups.

Math does not have to be limited to a specific part of your day.

What I learned is that math can be done during all three of those times, and other times as well. And so, this is how we engage our preschoolers into the world of math.

Lots of hands-on activities that can be done independently, in large groups, and more intimately in small groups.

Preschool math activities can be done any time of the day, throughout the day.

The Ultimate Collection of Preschool Math Activities

Let me share some fun ways that we have engaged our preschoolers:

Sorting

These are the obvious sorting activities, but there are so many others that just seem to happen naturally throughout our morning. Putting things away in proper bins, sorting what goes into the trash and what goes back into the bag at snack time, sorting the colored markers when putting them away.

Sort Legos by Color

Sort Flowers by Color

Sort Colors to make a Hanging Rainbow

Sort Bears by Color

Sort Rainbow Macaroni for a Necklace

Sort Pom Poms and Other Pieces in the Sensory Bin

Sort Fish by Color in the Water Table

Sort Pieces to make a Rainbow

Sort Hearts by Color

Sort Letters

Measuring

So much math is being learned while we do even the simplest activities involving measuring! How many? What shape? How full? How much?

How to Make Easy Apple Muffins with Toddlers

Measure How Much Batter to Use for Muffins

Measure Scoops of Vegetables for Soup

Measure salt for a Mother’s Day gift.

Measure Rice for a Rainbow Discovery Bottle

Measure Rocks for Terrariums

Measure Salt to Make Play dough

Winter Discovery Bottles for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Measure Liquid for Discovery Bottles

Measure Soil for Seeds

Measure Soap to Make Bubble Paint

Including Math with Art

One of my favorite ways to add some simple counting is during art projects. How many legs? How many eyes? How many circles? I often add a number line so they can place the items on the line while they count. (This is great 1:1 correspondence, too.)

Count the Frogs on the Log

Count the Spider’s Legs

Count the Legs on the Ladybug

Count the “Feathers” on the Turkey

Count the Circles for the Snowman

Shapes

We learn about and draw shapes in many ways. In our journals with stickers, puzzles, overhead projector, cookie cutters at the play dough table, etc. While we do have a “shape of the month”, I feel the same about it as I do “letter of the week”. Why devote one specific time for each one? We are exposed to all of them each day!