Maths is all around us, in particular we see numbers everywhere. At Pre-School we work towards the following number understanding..
- Counting, 1-10, and then beyond 10 to 20 or even higher
- Being able to recognise written numbers 1-5, 6-10, 10-20
- Being able to put the written numbers into the correct order
- Understanding numbers quantity, can you show me 2 oranges, 5 socks etc
- Then placing the correct written number next to a group of objects.
Counting is the easiest to do, counting steps to bed, how many plates on the table, how many socks in the washing etc.
We also sing lots of counting songs at Pre-School including;
1,2,3,4,5,
Once I caught a fish alive.
6,7,8,9,10,
Then I let it go again.
Why did you let it go?
Because it bit my finger so.
Which finger did it bite?
Tthis little finger on my right.
And backwards counting
5 little men in a flying saucer,
Flew around the world one day.
They looked left and right,
But they didn't like the sight,
So one man flew away.
ZOOM!
4 little men in a flying saucer,
And we continue until the last little man has flown away.
Recognising numbers
Nu
mbers are everywhere and going on a number hunt is a good way of reinforcing recognition of numbers. You could either hunt for just one number or if your child is confident 2 or more. They could then bring back the item they have found with the number on, and put it next to a written matching number.
Playing on a play or old phone to make a pretend phone calls if given a list of number to press can again reinforce number recognition, obviously it would need to be watched over to see if they are pressing the numbers correctly. Or if you have a calculator you could get your child to put in a list of numbers.
Matching written number to quantity
You can use any objects to do this, initially we use the same objects such as lego bricks or cars. Place down a number and then ask your child to place the number of objects that match the written number next to it. In order to ensure that your child recognises the numbers don't give them the numbers in order so for example a 2 then a 5 etc. Working with just numbers 1-5 will show if they understand what they have to do. This activity can obviously be done with much bigger numbers and also different objects as you can have a group of any number of different objects.