Let’s hear it for the primary color toy graph!
You know it! Graphs take sorting to another level. This primary color toy graph is colorful, inviting, and packed with early math foundation skills that our preschoolers can run with.
We don’t need much! Just white paper, some markers, and a small collection of toys.
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Why is graphing important to preschoolers?
Graphing introduces many foundational math skills that our children will revisit again and again.
- Total amount
- Greater than
- Less than
- Sorting
- Organizing
- Counting
- Comparing
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As my five-year-old sorts and stacks, he radiates with confidence.
This primary color toy graph takes something he does well (color sorting) and adds another level (comparing total amounts) to make a winning preschool math activity!
My preschooler dove in because he felt self-assured and extended upon his ideas because he was ready to take a risk. This combination will help him take his learning to the next level and be open to new concepts.
We can do this with dozens of objects we already own, just like we did with this sock graph!
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Let’s set this graph up for our preschoolers!
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- White paper roll
- Markers
- Small toy collection from items you already own
Gather a few red, yellow, and blue toys.
Tape the white paper down and begin to add three columns. Create a column for each color.
Younger children can begin with this easy primary color sorting activity first!
PRO TIP: Make sure you don’t have more objects than spaces available in the graph. If your graph only goes to eight, make sure you have eight or less of that color.
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When my five-year-old finished graphing, I was able to prompt him to introduce some bigger math concepts.
Graphing prompts:
- How many red toys do you have on your graph?
- How many yellow toys do you have on your graph?
- What is the total amount of toys you graphed altogether?
- Let’s count the blue toys. Let’s count the yellow toys. How many more blue toys do we have than yellow?
Watch your preschooler and take them where they want to go. If willing, continue to build on more graphing prompts. If your preschooler begins to shut down, allow them the space they need knowing you planted the seed and introduced a new math skill they will see again.