Play-based, hands-on math activities for preschoolers are simple to set up and will keep your kids busy learning while having fun! Although it may sound overwhelming, teaching your little one math at home is SO EASY to do. Check out all of my favorite easy ideas to help teach your preschooler how to count, graph, measure, learn shapes, and sort through play!
RELATED: Looking for more math inspiration at home? Here are my favorite math and STEM toys for young children.
How to teach early math through play
Teaching your kids math is one of the most fun and useful skill sets you can teach right at home because it is part of their every day.
Toddlers and preschoolers absorb information through hands-on learning, not through worksheets. And since math is all around us, you can incorporate it into things you are already doing together at home.
As your child plays, they are introduced to much larger concepts such as counting, graphing, measuring, shapes, and sorting. You may not see it right away, but after reading this article, you will begin to see how math is all around us.
Even better? You don’t need to download an app or get a tutor.
PRO TIP: Make math approachable, enjoyable, and enough of a challenge that keeps children thinking.
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Early math skills are so important
Learning basic math concepts will help prepare your preschooler for some more complex math ideas when it comes time to start Kindergarten.
For easy navigating, this article is broken down into 5 simple math activity categories:
- Counting
- Graphing
- Measuring
- Shapes
- Sorting
15 favorite math activities
With so many ideas on the internet, it can be hard to choose the best. These are my top 15 fun math activities for toddlers, preschoolers, and big kids! Check them out below.
Apple Dot to Dot
Connecting dot stickers are such a great way to introduce one-to-one correspondence to your little ones to develop early math skills.
Shapes and Shaving Cream Messy Play
Get messy with this fun sensory activity by “gluing” together foam blocks that are different shapes and colors using shaving cream.
Domino Number Match Up Game
Introduce number sense with this simple number matching game using dominoes.
Counting Surprise for Preschool Math
Your child will love this hands-on math activity as they count and sort any number of items (I used counting bears, of course)!
Kinetic Sand and Counting Bears
Pour some kinetic sand and toss in a handful of counting bears for this simple and fun math sensory bin.
Spoon Size Sort
I love using everyday objects (in this case: spoons!) to introduce measuring to toddlers and preschoolers.
Preschool Phone Number Activity
Use unifix cubes to teach an important life skill: phone number recognition and memory.
Roll and Drop Counting Activity
You never know when empty paper rolls will come in handy! Use cardboard rolls, painter’s tape, and counting bears for some frugal fun with this counting STEM activity.
Rainbow Leprechaun Trap
Introduce ordinal numbers and sequencing to your child with this fun and colorful rainbow leprechaun trap activity!
Mystery Shapes: a Fine Motor Activity
Practice fine motor skills as your little one connects dot stickers to make basic shapes to develop shape recognition.
Nonstandard Measurement for Preschoolers
Collect a basket of random objects around the house (blocks, paper clips, even coins) for your preschooler to practice measuring and counting.
Halloween Eraser Graph
Mini erasers are so fun for kids! And your child will love this Halloween-themed graphing activity using erasers (note: mini erasers can change seasonally)!
Bear Caves Color Sort
Draw a simple map with caves for your kids to take the counting bears home to as they practice color identification and sorting skills.
Mini Sticker Ten Frames
I love these cute mini ten frames! This great activity is sure to keep your preschooler busy as they count the number of dots that belong in each ten frame!
Magnetic Ten Frame
Did you know that sticky notes fit perfectly on magnetic tiles? Use them right on your refrigerator to create an upright ten frame for your child to practice counting and organizing.
50+ math activities for preschoolers
You can teach beginning math notions at home by simply breaking down large-scale math concepts into fun and easy games. Counting, graphing, measuring, shapes, and sorting are simple categories to teach and play with your preschooler.
Check out these 50+ preschool math activities below!
Counting activities
The basics of numerical math stem from number recognition and learning how to count. These fun activities involve creative ways to introduce numbers.
- Block Count Up: get out those blocks to build counting skills up the number link
- Color Counting Hunt: get your kids moving to search and sort for colors and numbers
- Counting Surprise for Preschool Math: hide counters under cups to add an element of surprise to this counting game
- DIY Counting for Cardboard Game for Preschoolers: recycle an old cardboard box to make a counting game
- Feed the Sharks: get your kids counting by feeding the shark with this easy go-to number activity
- Halloween Counting Activity: use dice and simple ghost drawings to count the eyes to stick on each spooky ghost
- Magnetic Ten Frame: use magnetic tiles to put numbers 1-10 in order on the refrigerator
- Mini Ten Frames: use notecards to make sticker ten frames for numbers 1-10
- Number Dots – Busy Toddler: develop number recognition, quantitative amounts, and matching
- Roll and Drop Counting Activity: use up those empty paper towel rolls to roll and play
- Shape People: introduce basic geometry and 2D shape recognition
- Sticker Number Match: match quantity with number symbols with this easy to set up hands-on learning math game
Graphing activities
Graphing is how young kids learn to organize and compare value systems. Check out some of these fun and engaging ways to get your child to start understanding the basics of graphing!
- Apple Graphing Activity for Preschoolers – Fun-A-Day: cut, paint, and stamp apples on paper in a graph to develop color sorting
- Color the Gumballs – Teaching Mama: use this FREE printable to decorate and graph the gumballs by color
- Graph the Counting Bears: let your kids play with counting bears to count and graph by color
- Graphing Candy – Busy Toddler: let your kids organize and sort their Halloween candy
- Nature Graphing – How Wee Learn: use chalk and nature to inspire this outdoor graph on the driveway
- Preschool Sock Graph: use socks from around the house to graph by color
- Primary Color Toy Graph: gather random objects and toys from around the house to introduce graphing
- Shape Graph for Preschool: use graphing to teach shape recognition and sorting
- Ultimate Guide to Teaching Graphing – Stay at Home Educator: learn more about why graphing is important
- Halloween Eraser Graph: increase your child’s understanding of quantity with this fun and festive Halloween eraser activity
Measuring activities
There are so many fun and interesting ways to teach your child how to measure and compare the sizes of items found around your house! These activities introduce measuring concepts in a fun and playful way.
- Cornmeal Sensory Play – Toddler Approved: cornmeal is such a fun sensory material to sift, pour, and measure
- Halloween Water Play: measure, scoop, splash, and play in this festive Halloween sensory activity
- Kitchen Match-Up: trace random kitchen utensils and have your kids match up the utensil with the shape
- Magnetic Measuring Activity: measure out some lines varying in length on the floor
- Measuring Kids with Blocks: let your kids build and measure themselves to count and see how big they are
- Measurement with Washi Tape: grab any random small objects or manipulatives to practice measuring skills
- Nonstandard Measurement with Blocks: use ANY objects around the house (coins, pasta, LEGOs, etc.) to measure various lines
- Pour to the Lines: add tape to different containers to practice pouring
- Ribbon Lines: engage your child in this fun measuring and matching activity
- Scoop the Sea: sort, measure, and play in this ocean-themed water-based sensory activity
- Turkey Feather Measuring – Happy Toddler Playtime: grab some colorful craft feathers to have your kids practice measuring
Shapes activities
Shapes are everywhere! Recognizing and naming shapes in our everday environment is a natural way to start introducing shape awareness. Check out these simple shape activities to boost your preschooler’s learning!
- Color and Shape Match: teaches simple geometry concepts based on shape recognition and color sorting
- Craft Stick Shape Match: make a DIY matching game with an egg carton and some craft sticks to challenge family members and see who can get the most matches
- DIY Shape Sorter – Teaching Mama: sort through various 3D shapes like wooden blocks
- Fly In Your Shapes: expand shape recognition with this fun and easy airplane play-based game
- Kindergarten Shape Build: build three-dimensional shapes with play dough and craft sticks
- Making Crayon Shapes – Toddler Approved: use crayons to learn about geometric lines and shapes
- Mystery Shapes: develop problem-solving skills with this fun and engaging sticker activity that introduces lines, geometry, and counting
- Shapes and Shaving Cream: build, connect, and discover how shapes balance and fit together
- Shape Dig: a fun way to introduce 3D shapes that also build and strengthen your child’s fine motor skills
- Shape Pictures: an open-ended fun activity that increases shape recognition, patterning, and design
- Sorting by Shapes: sort and organize shapes based on lines, curves, and other basic geometric features
- Watercolor Shape Painting: develop shape recognition and color exploration with watercolors
Sorting activities
Sorting is one of the most essential skills you can teach your child. It helps build awareness, organization, and categorization skills for many other early math learning concepts.
- Alphabet Sorting Activity: combine ABC practice and math sorting concepts with this sorting activity that introduces basic geometry recognition
- Bear Caves Color Sort: bring out my personal favorite: sorting bears for this easy-to-set-up math activity for toddlers and preschoolers
- Card Sorting – Busy Toddler: pull out a deck of cards and let your kids sort the cards
- Color Sorting Pom Pom Delivery: a fun open-ended way to let your kids recognize patterns, sorting, and matching
- Drive and Park Color Sort: a fun way to combine vehicle play with sorting and classifying by color
- Rainbow Color Sorting: organize the counting bears by color while developing line and curve awareness
- Run and Sort: head outside with your toddlers for this fun game that gets then running, sorting, and repeating colors
- Sorting Coins – Fun-A-Day: a super easy and useful activity that introduces values
- Spoon Size Sort: use all those different spoon utensils and kitchen tools to sort and oraganize
- Sticker Sorting by Size: grab all those random sticker sheets and let your kids sort them out by size
- Sticky Color Sorting: grab random paint samples to develop sorting skills through color classification
- Transportation Toy Sort: sort all of your trasportation toys by air, water, and land
RELATED: Low-prep preschool activities get the most bang for the buck. Keep ideas simple.
How do I teach math to my preschooler?
It’s easier than you think! When learning is playful, children are more likely to take risks. The more risks, the more connections are made in the brain. As children repeat play patterns and take risks, they strengthen their intelligence.
Experts stress that playful learning is the most effective way of learning. When you teach your preschoolers math, you want to keep learning playfully.
For example, if you know your child can count to ten, you may do a simple counting activity for numbers 1-10. The next day you may play the same game but include addition facts, such as 7+3.
The first math activity helped to build their confidence and feeling of success. The second math activity took something they knew and applied it differently for the child to engage in higher-order thinking.
RELATED: Use this go-to reference guide that includes no-fuss, fun activities to help teach your children basic math skills to stimulate learning for your preschooler!
How do I teach math at home?
Teaching math to preschoolers has so much to do with what they (and us parents) are already doing.
Here are a few examples of how math can be used in everyday conversations:
- Count out loud how many goldfish you drop into the bowl
- Try counting how many seconds it takes for the traffic light to turn green
- Ask your children to help sort the silverware when unloading the dishwasher
When you focus on play-based learning as your model for teaching your kids simple math concepts, you will find that your kids are more engaged, interested, stimulated, and receptive to absorbing ideas and information.
Teaching math to your kids is something you are probably already doing around your home and in your everyday life. Try out some of these simple, fun, and educational ways to incorporate different math concepts with your toddler and preschooler.
Which activity was your favorite?!
Frequently Asked Questions
Think about what your child enjoys and create fun math games using their favorite toys. If your child loves race cars, use them to color, sort, and count. If your child enjoys blocks, use the blocks to measure, sort, stack, and graph.
Math activity ideas for preschoolers are endless! Try measuring magnetic tiles, sorting shapes, graphing toys, dice games, playing cards, making ten frames, putting dot stickers on a grid, sorting spoons by size, painting shapes, counting objects, playing DIY board games, sorting coins, building 3D shapes with play dough, adding dominoes, making a number line with shoes, and sorting stickers by size.
Keep the activity out and accessible! You never know when it may peak their interest. I almost always notice my kids returning to an activity once I am not hovering over their shoulder. If your child does not return to the activity, put it away and take it out again in three months.
