Math Center - The Center for
Preschool Math Lesson Plans and
“What should I do for preschool math lesson plans?” That’s a question we were asked a lot. Before you arrange your preschool math activities, let’s see how children learn math. Most of children learn math from play and daily activities. By the time children will learn and use math in natural way. You should plan a challenging and vary activities in math center. In learning preschool math, children will learn step by step, from concrete to visual, symbol and then abstract. Your preschool math lesson plans and activities will follow the below sequence.
Children need a concrete experience to verbalize their thought. Children like to see and touch the object. So it is very important to give the children real material to work with.
3 actual stars
Show children pictures representing concepts
For example :
Introduce children the symbols that represent the concept
For example : "3"
Children absorb the concept of "3"
It would be better if you are not pressure children to learn the math concept, but you can keep encourage them with many preschool math activities. And don't forget to give them praise.
This are the mathematical concept that you can arrange for your preschool math lesson plans : counting, number meaning and recognition, shapes, comparing, measuring, one-to-one correspondence, time and money, addition and subtraction.
Choose the activities that are fit to your class abilities and interest. These activities can be used in large groups, small groups and suitable for individual exploration in the math center. Focus on one or two concept at a time than overwhelming children with many concepts.
Manipulative materials are very important for preschool math. Manipulative material supply children real object, so as a teacher you can provide materials for math center such as :
- Play money
- Balance scale
- Toy clock
- Popsicle stick
- Object to count such as : button, beans, shells
Preschool math activities :
Skill : Measuring. Measuring is ability to distinguish object by its volume, weight and linear.
- Weighing Apples. Provide scale and various-size apples. Let the children experiment by weighting the apples. Show to the children differences in weight. Take large apple and weight it on a scale, note the weight. Then take the small apple and repeat the process.
Skill : One-to-One Correspondence. Children must understand how to count with meaning, that they must know how to match them one-to-one.
- Apple in Basket. Provide cups for baskets. Draw apples on the construction paper. Cut the apples and laminate it. Children can match-up object one-to-one, put an apple in each basket.
Skill : Number Meaning and Recognition. Every number represents an amount which is substitute by a numeral. Number is the abstract : “five cats”, numeral is the symbol “5”.
Skill : Comparing. Children learn how to find out if objects are similar or different through comparison.
- Favorite Vegetable Bar Graph. Ask children their favorite vegetable. List some vegetables on the cardboard. Count how many children like the particular vegetable. Graph the number of children. Hang the poster on the wall.
Skill : Sorting and Sets. Children should learn how to classify objects. Children know how to put objects into group based on some characteristic.
- Big and Small Farm Animals. Provide 2 sets of farm animals. One set is big and then the second set is small. Print farm animals (a new window will open), paste it on cardboard, cut it out and laminate it. Make 2 sorting boxes made from shoe box. Let the children sort picture cards big and small objects.
Skill : Shapes Children will recognize the name of the shapes, able to recognize similarities and differences in shapes
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Art Center | Block Center | Dramatic Center | Language Art Center Manipulative Center | Math Center | Science Center
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Gross Motor Skill | Song and Rhymes | Field Trip | Kids Recipes
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