January 12-15

This week we explored a variety of winter math centers. These math centers focused on counting and number sense, which forms the foundation for all future math learning. Number sense is the ability to understand and work with numbers in a flexible, intuitive way, and connects to a child's natural ability to understand and use numbers. It includes several core components that set the stage for all later math learning:

Counting: Understanding numbers in sequence and applying one-to-one correspondence (matching each object counted to one number).
Subitizing: Instantly recognizing small quantities without counting.
Cardinality: Understanding that the last number counted represents the total number of items.
Magnitude: Recognizing which numbers are larger or smaller and estimating quantities.

Benefits of Learning Numbers for Preschoolers

Counting activities aren’t just about numbers—they come with a host of benefits that set the stage for your child’s overall development. When children count they...

Enhance their Cognitive Skills

Counting is a brain workout for preschoolers, enhancing memory, attention, and problem-solving. As they count, kids learn to focus and remember sequences, laying the groundwork for future math skills and logical thinking.

Improve their Logical Thinking and Reasoning Capabilities

Counting teaches children cause and effect, like adding one more block increases the total by one. This basic logic is the foundation for understanding patterns, solving problems, and making decisions.

Build Confidence

Successfully counting boosts a child’s confidence. Each time they get it right, their self-esteem grows, making them eager to tackle more challenging tasks with enthusiasm.

Develop their Fine Motor Skills

Counting often involves moving objects, which helps develop fine motor skills. As children handle items while counting, they improve their hand-eye coordination and dexterity which is essential for writing and other tasks.

Gain a better Sense of Numbers and Quantities

Counting helps children understand that numbers represent actual amounts. By linking numbers to real-world objects, they build a solid foundation for math, making abstract concepts easier to grasp later on.

Between the ages of 3 and 5, children typically begin to count aloud, recognize written numbers, and identify small quantities without counting. These foundational skills often develop through play and observation. Within the core components of number sense, these activities practiced:

Learning the Words for Numbers and the Proper Sequence: Counting teaches kids that numbers have a specific order and each number matches a quantity.
Understanding and Recognizing Quantities: Children learn that numbers represent actual things.

The children were so proud of their hard math work!

This winter activity explored number sense and counting using cotton balls, stickers and an empty snow globe. The goal of the activity was to choose a card and transfer the correct amount of items into the snow globe to create their winter scene. In order to create their snow globes, the children were given cards with specific amounts of each art material to glue to the shape. The cards had two items on it and the amounts ranged anywhere from 1-10. We moved through each item and had the children identify the number, count out that many items and place them on their card. This was great practice with multi-step directions and visual-spatial awareness as they placed and attached each material. Each material was also a different shape and thickness, which required different levels of fine motor strength and dexterity.