Understanding simple graphs and charts is another essential early math skill. Below are activities that you can do with your child to build his/her experience with graphs and charts.
Practice Comparing Amounts
Making comparisons is a great start to thinking mathematically. If you give your child two animal crackers and yourself four, no doubt your child can tell who has more and who has less! Throughout the day, ask him to compare the number of blocks in two towers, books in piles, stickers on a chart, or food on plates. Build his brainpower by using the words "more," "less", and "the same".
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Dominoes
Mix up the dominoes and have your child pick one and then ask her/him, “Which side has more dots?” or “Which side has fewer dots?” Point out when the dots have the same number on each side and use the vocabulary “equal.” Building math vocabulary at this age is important as it begins to lay the foundation for what they will be learning in the future. Use additional math vocabulary such as: most, fewest, and least.
Sort Objects
Have your child sort objects into piles by color or size. For example, they could sort buttons, coins, or socks. After sorting, have your child count each object in each pile and write it down (e.g., 3 red socks, 4 white socks, 6 black socks or 5 pennies, 2 dimes, 1 quarter). On a piece of paper or a dry erase board, draw the same number of blocks in 3 stacks (or the number of stacks you need for your groups of objects). Have your child color in the number of blocks for each item.