Preschool Math Skills and Goals

As we said in the original preschool learning skills section, we’re providing a brief introduction to the overall concepts that are taught in preschool. However, we didn’t feel like a training on getting started with home preschool would be complete without at least an overview of the basic preschool math skills and some low-prep activities to teach them. Please know that this is just an overview. If you have specific questions or need additional information, please head over to the Home Preschool Help Facebook Group and we’ll be glad to help! In this section we’ll provide a brief introduction to preschool math skills and the goals of early math instruction. There’s also a free printable list of preschool math skills and easy activities you can try right away.

Goals of Preschool Math:

In preschool math the goal is to help children develop a sense of math around them, to notice and use numbers, and to use math concepts to explore their world. During the preschool years we can help kids:

• use numbers and counting to explore their world
• notice shapes, patterns, and colors
• use math to communicate things about their world (how long something is, how heavy it is, etc)

Home preschool math instruction should not be focused on rote memorization or drilling factual knowledge. Instead math can be incorporated into playful activities like:

• counting how many blocks tall a child’s tower is,
• comparing who has more grapes on their plate at snack time,
• identifying shapes of street signs during car rides,
• and finding patterns on different clothes in a child’s closet.

You can find tons of hands-on math inspiration in the math activities section of our website.

However, we also wanted to make it super easy for you to integrate math activities into your routine, so we’ve outlined the key math areas and some low-prep math activities that you can do to help teach them.

In the free printable below you’ll find a list of math activities that can be done with toys and materials you have at home.

NEXT STEPS

Take a look at the math goals you’ve selected for your child based.

Review the math activities in the free printable Toolbox and select a few to use during your first weeks of home preschool.

Jot down any additional ideas you have for teaching those math skills.

This is Unit 2, Lesson 3 of the Guide to Getting Started with Home Preschool. Return to the main How to Teach Homeschool Preschool page or proceed to Unit 2, Lesson 4: Preschool Science Basics.