THE MATH CENTER

Developing Critical Thinking Skills

The phrase "children learn by doing" is particularly true with math. Children don't think abstractly, so they need multiple experiences with hands-on materials to construct concepts about numbers and the world around them. There are numerous daily opportunities for learning math as you read stories, play games, cook, and talk informally. Stretch children's vocabulary and thinking skills with questions like: "How did you know that?" or "How can you find out?"

Math Skills for Young Children

Patterning:  Children can identify, extend and create patterns to develop analytical skills.
Sorting and Classifying: Children identify attributes of objects and group them according to those attributes. (ex. color, shape)
Ordering and Seriating: Children identify differences between objects and arrange objects according to those differences (ex. Size, age, speed)
Beginning Number Concepts: Children are thinking in terms of "how many" or "how much".  Concepts include one-to-one correspondence and understanding the meaning of a number, and counting.
Problem Solving: This is the process by which children begin to apply the math concepts they have learned into their daily life.
Measuring and Estimating: Measuring is another skill that children can use to understand objects and estimating allows children to make predictions about the objects children encounter in everyday life.
Visual/Spatial Skills: These skills are the basis for geometry- learning and exploring simple shapes.

Math Center

Create a special math center in your classroom this year where children can "discover" and reinforce math concepts. You could use a table, shelf, or quiet corner in your classroom. Store materials in zip bags, baskets, shoe boxes, or a storage tub. Label each container with the name and a picture of the item. Model how to use the materials and clean up. Begin by putting out one activity at a time. When children have learned how to use one activity and clean up, then add another. Children should have several choices, but don't overwhelm them by too many materials at once.

Counting Materials:

shells, rocks, buttons, toothpicks, keys, bottle caps,, paint chips, erasers, small toys, craft sticks, birthday candles, hair bows, small cars, crayons, party favors, leaves

Sorting Materials: sorting box, divided serving dishes, flannel board and felt pieces

Numbers: dice, deck of cards, number puzzles, tactile numerals, dominoes, board games

Measurement: ruler, tape measure, balance scale, measuring cups and spoons

Geometry: geoboard, felt shapes, attribute blocks, 3 dimensional shapes

Counting: dice, number line, hundreds chart, counting cubes

Patterns: pattern blocks, sewing beads, peg board, Unifix cubes

Matching Boxes

 

Graphing

• Floor graphs can be used to graph children or objects
• Graph children's favorite anything (animal, color, toy, book, food, etc), eye color, hair color, number of children in their family, the possibilities are endless and can be related to the current theme
• Have children use the scale and draw a representation of what they discovered

Making Math Games

• Select a story that is based on math concepts that you are trying to teach or at least a book that lends itself easily to a math game
• Determine the target players ages or level and adjust the game to meet those levels
• Select the type of game to create- lotto or short path games
• Create your game using a spinner or die and create a short game board
• Make pieces sturdy or laminated.

Ex. You can easily make a short path game based on Corduroy. Create the game board with 4 bear paths created with bear paw prints as the spaces. Each path is color coded (red, yellow, green or blue with the coordinating button at the end). If working on number recognition have children use a spinner with numbers 1 through 4 and moving their plastic bear the number of spaces toward their button. If working on sequencing skills have children move different sized bears along the path by using two different spinners one to determine the number of spaces and one to indicate the size of bear to move.

Books Effective in Teaching Math Concepts

Title	Author	Concepts
Ten, Nine Eight	Bang, M.	Number concepts
Anno's Counting Book	Anno, M.	Number Concepts
The Dot and the Line	Norton Juster	Patterns
Inch By Inch	Leo Lioni	Measuring
Mouse Count	Ellen Stoll Walsh	Counting
Actual Size	Steve Jenkins	Measurement
One Hundred Hungry Ants	Elinor J. Pinczes	Fractions
We All Went on Safari: A Counting Journey Through Tanzania	Laurie Krebs, Julia Cairns	Number recognition
Just a Little Bit	Ann Tompert	Measurement
Bunny Money	Rosemary Wells	Money