Learning numbers for preschoolers should be fun and engaging. Let them enjoy these exciting worksheets so they will grow up loving Math!
My eldest child loves math. My husband is an actuary. I am a chemical engineering graduate. Can I say more how our family loves numbers?
When I was in elementary school, my mom enrolled me and my sister in mental arithmetic class. For around 5 years, we mastered all the levels and joined in National competitions. Learning math was fun for us, because we used to learn numbers in a fun way. Then of course, along the way of my education journey, I went into science major in high school and took engineering major for my bachelor degree.
My daughter is currently 3.5 years old and unlike her older brother, she has a little interest in numbers. She is more a kinaesthetic and and active kid who loves to explore and that alone is a challenge for me to teach her math without making her bored.
Given that, I created some worksheet activities about numbers that I’d like to share with you. You can download it for FREE at the end of this post.
The age of developing number knowledge typically falls between 3 and 4 years old
The age of developing number knowledge typically falls between 3 and 4 years old, when children begin learning about number formation and counting. This learning journey continues as they progress, with math lessons introducing larger numbers over time.
But age is just a number. There are three signs to see if your child is ready to learn math :
- They are curious about numbers
- They can recognize shapes and figures
- They have learnt and understood number names
Recognizing Numbers
Having number sense is the first of all. Once your child has mastered the names of all the numbers, it’s time to further develop their understanding by teaching them to recognize, identify, and associate actual shapes, figures and symbols with the numbers from 1 to 10. This will lay the foundation for them to progress to counting, addition, subtraction, and multiplication, ultimately mastering the important skill of number recognition.
Every child should develop the ability to visually recognize and name numbers, as it is essential for improving their mathematical skills. Number recognition is a crucial skill that children will use in their daily lives.
If they cannot recognize numbers, they may struggle with basic math problems and every day tasks such as adding a grocery bill or finding a specific page in a book.
Everyday Math
Numbers are everywhere. It doesn’t have to be boring by visual memorizing. Let your child observe and recognize numbers around them.
I often put numbers into our daily tasks such as :
– counting the dried fussili when we cook pasta
– singing ’10 little monkeys’ when we make up our bed
– pointing out numbers on billboards or road signs
– counting stairs as you go
and many more
I would also deliberately adding certain words in our day-to-day conversations, such as : more, less, fewer, larger, heavier, longer, shorter, etc
Play Games
Can your child accurately give you three lego blocks, then five more lego blocks and then tell you how many they have in total? Without using worksheet, we are learning math addition.
Another game I like to play with my kids is “finding things”. Basically, I just ask them to find three things that colored blue, find five things that has triangle shape, etc. My daughter loves this game since she is a kinaesthetic child, which means she learns faster when she moves her body.
Check Understanding and Readiness to Advance
Now that we have incorporate numbers and math into our daily activities, we want to check their understanding and readiness to move on the next level of math comprehension. I created some activities to check their understanding.
As we are approaching the most wonderful time of the year, Christmas (yay!), I created a Christmas-themed numbers activities for our children. I take that your child has recognize number from 1 to 10, so this activity should be suitable for preschoolers. Click the image below to download.
Until then!
