O2B Kids

Making Math Fun: How to Help Your Preschooler Build Confidence & A Lifelong Love Learning

Math, just like all STEAM subjects, is a foundational skill all children need to develop. Even as early as one, understanding math is more than just knowing how to count, add and subtract. It builds your child’s critical thinking and problem-solving skills through things like patterns, shapes and puzzles!

Your child might not feel connected to a certain subject. They may find it frustrating when they don’t understand and can grow to dislike it more. 

Fortunately, with some creativity and patience, you can help your child build confidence, find the FUN in math and build a lifelong love of learning!

Why it’s important to make Math FUN

These are your child’s formative years. What they learn now will be the building blocks for their future. If they start to associate math and challenges with failure and stress, it can damage their confidence and love of learning. 

Try out one of these new approaches:

1. Incorporate Math into Everyday Activities

Math is everywhere! So take advantage of everyday moments where you can introduce mathematical concepts, such as:

  • Cooking or baking: Ask your child for help measuring or counting ingredients.
  • Sorting and organizing: Pattern recognition is a part of math! Develop your child’s skills by encouraging them to organize their toys by color, size or shape.
  • Grocery Shopping: Have your child compare the sizes of items at the store. Which one is bigger? Which one is smaller?

2. Use Hands-On Tools

Having a tangible way to learn can help your child see and feel the concepts they’re learning! Use what you have at home:

  • Practice addition and subtraction by removing or adding to a pile of toys.
  • Build towers with blocks and compare which is taller and which is shorter.
  • Use toys to create stories! “If we have 2 cars driving, and I add 1 more, how many are there now?”

3. Make It a Game

At O2B Kids, we all know that the brain learns best through PLAY! Pick games that have elements of math in them:

  • Board Games: Games like Chutes and Ladders or dice-based games introduce your child to counting and number recognition.
  • Scavenger Hunts: Make a game out of this! Have your child count items or follow clues with numbers. “Can you find 3 purple objects in this room?”
  • Math Apps: While you want to use screens sparingly with young children, there are plenty of educational apps designed for preschoolers that can make learning math skills fun and interactive.

4. Celebrate Small Successes

Don’t forget to celebrate your child’s wins! Encouragement and positive reinforcement help your child to build confidence in math and their ability to overcome challenges. 

Something as simple as “Wow, great job!” when they count to 10 can go a long way in boosting their morale and motivating them to keep going. We do this in the classroom, and you can do it at home, too!

5. Be Patient and Positive

If your child is frustrated or upset with their progress, don’t put pressure on them to get the right answer every time. Work to understand their feelings and make sure they feel heard. Put the focus on overall progress and the process of the love of learning.

Help Your Child Build a Lifelong Love of Learning 

Your child may not get everything right every time, and that’s okay! Learning is about the journey. It’s far more important for them to feel comfortable exploring and asking questions, so they can develop their curiosity about the world and be ready for Kindergarten. 

That’s why at O2B Kids, we learn through PLAY! Your child’s math lessons are more than just numbers, patterns and shapes. They’re learning problem-solving, creativity, and discovery. 

With these tips and a little bit of fun, you can help your preschooler embrace math with confidence and joy!

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