Help your little one sharpen her math skills as she is playing with these fun hands-on math activities.
She won’t even know she is learning!
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Fun Preschool Math Activities
Below is a list of many different hands-on math activities to help encourage your little one to explore math concepts.
Hopefully, you can find a few that your little one loves doing!
Once she knows how to do the activity, it is much easier to let her complete it more independently.
You are able to change many of these to fit your growing learner.
The Shape Wheel
Cut a circle out of cardstock or cardboard.
Draw thick lines on the circle so that it is divided into multiple pieces (like you would cut a pizza).
Draw a different shape in each section.
On clothes pins, draw the same shapes you drew on the cardboard.
Have your little one match up the shapes on the clothes pins to the shapes on the board.
Noodle Shapes
Cook up some pasta and let it cool.
As it is cooling, print out some shape cards (or draw some on paper).
Have your preschooler use the pasta to trace the shapes on the paper.
Sticker Number Cards
Print out cards with numbers on them (or make your own by writing numbers on a sheet of paper).
Have your little learner add the number of stickers to the card that matches the number on the card.
For example, the card with the number two would have two stickers on it.
Number Sorting using Balloons
Blow up some balloons.
Using a permanent marker, write different numbers from 1- 10 on the balloons.
Mix up the balloons and have your little one put the balloons in number order.
Both number recognition and counting will be worked on in this hands-on math activity.
Number Tracing
Print out some connect-the-dot activities for your little one that are in the shape of numbers.
You may need to help depending on how elaborate the picture is and how high your little one can identify numbers.
Pouring Games
It’s never too early to work on measurement and volume.
Grab some different size cups and some rice or water.
Have your little one pour from one full cup to another cup.
See if the new cup overflows.
Talk about the concept of empty and full and use the words big and small.
Challenge your little learner to organize the cups from smallest to largest.
Number Blocks
Number blocks can be used in many different ways.
From putting the numbers in order to measuring items.
To measure with them, grab a few items (shoes, dolls, trucks, etc.).
Have your preschooler line up the blocks so they are touching to measure how long an item is.
Use words like “longer” and “shorter” to compare the length of different items.
Sorting Shapes and Colors
Have your preschooler take a collection of items (maybe the ones she picks up off the floor to help clean up) and have her sort them by color.
If you are using items of different shapes, she can then resort them by shape.
Talk about shape, color, and count how many items you have all together.
How many were of each color or shape?
Playing with Play Dough
Have your little one work on rolling little balls of play dough to match a certain number.
As she counts back the balls, have her smash the ball with her finger.
You can also have her roll out the play dough and then use number mats to have her trace the numbers on the number mat.
Colored Pictures
Print out pictures of trees.
Have your little one color in each tree a different color to work on color recognition.
On each sheet write “I see ____ apples”.
In the blank write in a number.
Have your little one put that many “apples” on the tree.
For the apples you can use dry beans, balls of play dough, dry cereal, anything!
This game helps with number identification and one to one correspondence.
It is also great for building fine motor skills.
Preschool Hands-On Math Activities
Math is important for children to grasp and starting early with different preschool hands-on math activities will help your little ones to feel confident with numbers, shapes, measurements, comparison, and counting.
Hopefully, you are inspired to try a few of these activities with your little learner.