Math can sometimes be overwhelming and complex for kids to learn, so it is essential to include fun and hands-on activities to make the learning experience simple and enjoyable.
Introducing your kids to basic math concepts in their early years with hands-on activities and tools can help lay a good foundation for them to learn the other aspects of the subject.
Math Activities for Your Kids
Teaching kids math through play and activities can prove beneficial in developing your kids’ mathematical abilities, which is necessary for everyday use.
Incorporate math-related activities in your kids’ daily life to get them adapted to the subject and prepare them for more complex aspects.
In this blog, I’ve included math activities that are simple yet fun to introduce math concepts to your kids. 😊
Math Activities for Toddlers
The toddler stage is a good time to slowly introduce your kids to math with concepts like numbers and recognition of basic shapes and patterns.
Observe Shapes
The best way to introduce shapes to your toddlers is by observation – pointing and showing them the different shape outlines in their surroundings.
A circle plate, a rectangle door, and a square notebook are examples of everyday objects you can show your kids to help them become familiar with the basic shapes. 🔴
Form Patterns
Recognizing and forming patterns is a skill that will come in handy.
Introduce your kids to patterns with a simple two-part formation, where they can place two colors of buttons or pom poms alternatingly in the ice tray compartments to create a pattern. 💠
Pro Tip:
You can slowly increase the parts in the formation to three, four, and above to create more elaborate patterns.
Count with Objects
Kids can learn basic counting with objects they find around them.
Place number cards from 1-10 on the floor and get your kids to count and find objects from their surroundings to match the number on the cards.
You can get them to bring two buttons, five toys, six Lego blocks, and so on. 🐚
Count the Body Parts
Learning to count is vital and the foundation of most math concepts.
Get your kids to count their eyes, ears, fingers, and toes along with you. This activity is a great way to start their counting journey, as finger-counting is a popular method used in counting. 👂🏼
Color Shapes
Coloring the shapes makes for a fun art activity and is an engaging way for kids to learn about them.
Draw the outlines of shapes with dashed lines. Kids can trace along the dashed lines to outline the shape with crayons or paints and then color inside them. 🖍️
Pro Tip:
You can even make your kids use cotton buds or their fingertips to trace along the lines of the shape.
Number Magnetic Fishing Game
Draw and cut fish shapes from colored paper and laminate them. Number the fish from 1-10 and add a paperclip to each one. Attach a magnet to a string and tie it to a stick to make a fishing rod. 🎣
Lay the fish on a surface and encourage your kids to catch the fish by counting the numbers in order.
Count with Pom Poms
A hands-on counting activity that kids will love.
Write numbers from 1-10 on the inside of individual plastic bowls and lay them on the surface. Let your kids count the numbers aloud and place the same number of pom poms according to the number written. 🧶
Match Numbers
Write down numbers from 1-10 on the ends of the ice cream sticks, and label glasses with sticky notes with the same numbers. 🥢
Instruct your kids to place the numbered ice cream sticks into the glasses that have the matching numbers.
Sort Lego Blocks
Label a few bowls with sticky note color swatches. Kids can bring out their Lego blocks and bricks, sort them according to the colors and place them in their respective bowls assigned for each color. 🧱
You can also examine and discuss the different shapes and sizes of the Lego blocks and bricks with your kids.
Pro Tip:
You can also get your kids to sort the Lego blocks and bricks based on their sizes – large, medium, and small.
Number Finding Game
A fun game to keep your kids on the move while also learning to match numbers.
Write down the numbers from 1-10 on a large sheet of paper. Write the same numbers on small pieces of paper, and place them around the house in plain sight to be discovered. 🔎
Kids can find the numbers and match them with the ones on the large sheet.
Shape Sensory Cards
Sensory cards help kids stimulate their senses as they touch and feel objects.
Draw the outlines of shapes on paper, and stick sensory items like rice, sand, salt, pasta, etc. Kids can touch and feel them physically with their fingers, which helps them remember better. 🧂
Count with Everyday Scenarios
Incorporate counting practice with everyday scenarios – the things kids see around them. 🌳
You can make them count the cars on the road, the trees in the park, the apples in the fruit basket, and so on. for a visual counting activity.
Sing Along to Rhymes
Rhymes are a great way to introduce numbers and counting while having a singing session at home. Choose rhymes with numbers and sing them along with your kids. You can also let them use their fingers to count along while singing. 🎶
Make Playdough Shape Impressions
It’s time to bring out the kids’ favorite plaything – the play dough!
Roll the playdough into a flat sheet and give your kids shape stamps. They can use these stamps to create impressions of shapes in the play dough, which can help your kids recognize the shapes better. ⭕️
Sort Sizes
Draw two circles on paper, and label them as large and small. Kids can sort objects around them – Lego blocks, toys, buttons, stickers, and stones into these two sizes. 📏
This activity is a hands-on way for kids to learn to differentiate the sizes.
Math Activities for Preschoolers
During their preschool stage, you can introduce kids to concepts like counting double-digit numbers, sorting by shape, size, and color, and comparing abilities.
Bunny Hop Counting
A fun game where kids learn to count and improve their gross motor skills.
Print and laminate bunny footprints, and label them with numbers from 1-10. Lay them on the floor and tape them down to prevent any movement. 🐰
Kids can hop along these bunny footprints following the order of the numbers.
Caterpillar Formation
This activity helps kids recognize and arrange numbers in numerical order.
Write down numbers from 1-10 on green glass pebbles with a marker. Place a red colored-pebble for the face, and kids can arrange the green-colored ones in the correct order of numbers to make the caterpillar’s body. 🐛
Count with Fingerprints
Time to get your kids’ fingers messy for this art cum math activity.
Draw a starting circle on a sheet of paper according to the design you want to make – a caterpillar, a flower, etc.
The idea is to create designs using fingerprints along with counting numbers. 🌷
Kids can dip their fingers in paint and imprint their fingerprints to complete the design while counting the numbers after each impression.
Build Lego Towers
An activity with Lego blocks always brings out a feeling of excitement in kids.
Make your kids roll the dice, and the number on the upper face of it determines the number of Lego blocks they need to stack. Repeat the process by rolling the dice and adding more blocks on top of the previous ones to stack a tower. 🗼
Connect Number Trains
A fun counting activity that helps kids learn the order of numbers.
Print train templates on sheets of paper. Cut them into individual cards and laminate them. Write the numbers on the cards for as many numbers as you want your kids to count.
Lay all the train cards on a surface and urge your kids to connect the train cards in the order of numbers. 🚂
Play a Number Sweep Game
A number sweep game is a great activity to incorporate counting in a fun and engaging way.
Arrange number tiles or cards from 1-20 on the floor, forming a wide circle. Place a heap of pom poms in the middle, and make your kids use a broom to sweep the correct number of pom poms to each number tile or card. 🧹
Create Shape Outlines
Pipe cleaners are versatile craft items that can help kids to learn the shapes in a hands-on way.
Choose different colors of pipe cleaners and let your kids twist and turn them to make different shapes. Kids can cut them into small pieces and glue them onto paper to form the shapes. 🔳
Art Number Cards
Time for your kids to pick up their crayons and get creative!
Write down the outlines of numbers on individual paper cards. Kids can begin by coloring inside the number outlines and then draw objects and shapes corresponding to the number in the cards – two squares, five shells, and so on. 🎨
Count Ingredients
Get your kids involved in the kitchen while you’re baking or cooking, and turn that into an opportunity for counting.
Kids can count the number of eggs, vegetables, and fruits. You can also make them count the number of cups and spoons of ingredients before you add them to the dish. 🍎🥕
Build a Number Fence
Number the ice cream sticks from 1-20. Kids can line the ice cream sticks according to the order of the numbers as they count. Glue the sticks on colored paper to make the fence, and kids can decorate the rest of the page to recreate a scene. #️⃣
Stamp Along Numbers
My son loved doing this fun stamping activity. Write down numbers with a pencil on a sheet of paper. Let your kids use rubber stamps of different shapes to stamp along the outlines of each number with colored inks. 💮
Count with Dots Wheel
Print a circle with sections having dots representing different numbers, and laminate it. Write the same numbers in numerical form on clothespins.
Kids can count the dots on the sections of the wheel and clip the corresponding numerical clothespins to that section to match the dots and numbers. ☸️
This dot wheel is a fun activity for kids to practice one-to-one correspondence counting.
Pro Tip:
You can replace the dots with drawings for an alternate version of this activity.
Math Activities for Kindergarteners
In their kindergarten years, you can introduce your kids to concepts like time and date, the value of numbers, and one-to-one correspondence.
Coins Sorting
Sorting coins is an activity that requires kids to observe the numbers on different denominations of coins to analyze and organize them accordingly.
Make your kids go through a handful of coins and divide and organize them into different groups based on the coin denominations.
Complete the Equations
A fun interactive activity for kids to practice addition and subtraction!
Write down addition and subtraction equations on a whiteboard, leaving a blank in a different part of each of the equations for your kids to fill in.
They can use sticky notes to fill in the correct number to complete the equation.
Tell the Time
Being able to tell the time on a clock is a necessary everyday skill, and you can introduce your kids to the basic concept of time-telling with a fun activity.
Transform a cardboard circle into a clock – paint the base, poke a hole, add the hour and minute hands, and write the numbers. Make your kids move the minute and hour hands according to the time you want them to tell. 🕰️
Add and Subtract with Dice
My son enjoys doing calculation activities with dice.
Give your kids some dice and ask them to roll them. Make them add or subtract the numbers on the upper surface of the dice and write them down on a sheet of paper. ➕➖
Play Board Games
Besides being a source of enjoyment, playing board games helps in number recognition and simple counting activities.
Board games like Ludo and Snakes and Ladders are a great way to improve your kids’ number-recognizing and counting abilities as they move their game pieces according to the number on the dice. 🎲
Make a Number Collage
Sift through the pages of your old newspapers and magazines, and make your kids spot numbers from 1-30. They can use scissors to cut the numbers from the page and glue them on paper in the correct order to make a number collage. ✂️
An engaging activity that also helps kids improve their cutting skills and hand-eye coordination.
Fill Number Sense Sheets
Write down numbers on individual sheets of paper. Instruct your kids to represent the numbers in different ways – the number in words, tally marks, object drawings, ten-frame grids, dice faces, and so on.
These sheets will help kids develop their number sense and the variety of ways one can represent a number. 🔢
Sort Buttons
Give your kids a handful of buttons in different shapes, colors, and sizes.
Make them categorize these buttons according to shapes, then sort them by color and arrange them based on sizes. ✔️
This activity helps kids improve their ability to sort varied items and understand the sizes of things.
Build Shape Structures
Building 3D versions of shapes can help kids visually recognize and remember them while also introducing them to the concept of dimensions.
You can help your kids make the 3D versions of shapes using toothpicks and blobs molded from playdough to connect them all to form a shape. 🏗️
Match Dominoes Tile Dots
Dominoes tiles make for such fun learning activities, including this one, which my son loves doing. 🀄️
Write down numbers on individual paper cards. Make your kids find all the possible domino tiles with a combination of dots that can match the numbers on each card.
Guess the Shape Game
Play a shape-guessing game with your kids to help improve their knowledge of shapes.
Place 3D plastic shapes in individual paper bags. Blindfold your kids and let them touch and feel the objects to guess the name of the shapes. 🔶
Pro Tip:
You can also play this guessing game in another way by letting kids ask you questions about the mystery shape and then determine what shape it is.
Complete the Pattern
Cut out different shapes from colored paper. Arrange them in a pattern of different shapes on a surface. Leave a few shapes missing in the pattern row for kids to recognize and place the correct pieces and complete them. 💠
Kids will learn to understand the pattern formation and recognize the missing shapes.
Addition with Playing Cards
My son loves adding numbers using playing cards.
Bring out a deck of playing cards, take only the numbered cards, and shuffle them. Kids can pick two cards each time and add the numbers together. They can continue doing this until they complete all the numbered cards from the stack. ♣️♦️
Pro Tip:
To make things easier, kids can start by adding the numbers from 1-5 and then move on to the numbers from 6-10.
Seed Placement Activity
A fun and hands-on activity where kids place seeds on fruit mats.
Print an image of one watermelon on paper and laminate it. Make your kids roll two dice, and add the sum of the numbers. They can write the answer and place that many seeds on the watermelon. 🍉
Pro Tip:
You can do the same activity with watermelons made with playdough and add seeds to them after the addition.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed reading the activities listed above that were helpful for my kids in making the learning process fun and seamless.
Please comment below if you would try any of these activities at home with your kids. ❤️
I’m a former teacher (and mother of Two Childs) with a background in child development. Here to help you with play-based learning activities for kids. ( Check my Next startup Cledemy.Com)