We don’t usually think of young children as learning math, but the truth is, basic math skills and understandings are developed at a very young age. I previously outlined when young children learn early math skills and here are 5 great toys that help wtth promoting early math development and aid little ones gain those early math understandings.
1. Shape Sorters
Shape sorters are awesome not only because they help children learn shapes but also because they help develop hand-eye coordination which is also super important in the early years. Parents and caregivers can help extend learning with a shape sorter by naming the shapes as children select them and by pointing out how the block and the hole are the same shape if a child is frustrated trying to get the blocks in the right hole.
2. Bucket of Animals
Buckets of animals are great for classifying and sorting, especially ones with varying sizes of animals. Children can sort by type of animal, color or size then they can count how many of each there are. Parents and caregivers can help extend learning with animals by guiding young children in counting the animals as well as using size and color describing words and for older children by doing simple addition and subtraction questions (“I see two pigs and three cows, how many pigs and cows are there all together?”)
3. Tape Measures and Rulers
Kids won’t usually understand the actual concept of measuring until close to kindergarten age but the doesn’t mean they can’t play with tape measures and rulers. Little ones love retractable tape measures that they can pull out, hold up to things and then let slide back in. Parents and Caregivers can help extend learning by giving children different sized objects to measure, talking about the numbers shown on the measuring devices and involving little ones in their tasks which involve measuring such as building, sewing and other craft or DIY projects.
4. Measuring Cups and Spoons
Measuring cups and spoons are awesome for using in the water table or for playing with sand, rice, oatmeal or other sensory bin items. By using different sizes of cups and spoons children begin comparing sizes. Parents and Caregivers can help extend learning by encouraging children to count how many smaller containers it takes to fill a larger one (“How many scoops of sand will it take to fill your bucket?”)
5. Stacking and Nesting Cups or Blocks
Stacking and Nesting cups/blocks are awesome for so many reasons! They are the perfect travel toy because they tuck neatly inside of each other and provide minutes of entertainment (that’s a lot for little ones!) They are also great for early math concepts such as comparing size and counting. Parents and caregivers can help extend learning by encouraging children to stack biggest to smallest (or nest smaller inside bigger) and to count how high a child can build.
As you can see, even with the right supplies, a lot of early math skills are learned through adult interaction. Children learn to count, classify, name shapes, do basic arithmetic and sort items through verbal guidance and listening to parents and caregivers use math words and phrases.
