In many adults, math is associated with something complicated and boring. Therefore, they are not in a hurry to begin systematic classes with their children, putting off acquaintance with tasks and examples until they enter school. There, the child will have to learn addition and subtraction, multiplication and division. But can he love the exact sciences, will he wake up in him the desire to look for answers to complex questions, to find unexpected solutions? It is this attitude to the subject that is brought up by classes in entertaining mathematics for preschoolers.
Why does the kid need math?
Scientists have proven that children are born with an intuitive sense of number. At 6 months, infants react to the quantitative difference of objects, although they do not know how to count. With properly organized classes, preschoolers early on become aware of the meaning of mathematical concepts and find patterns. They wake up with a desire to delve into the essence of phenomena and processes, solve problems independently, and reason outside the box. Mastering the school curriculum is much easier for such children.
Entertaining mathematics in preschool children acquaints with quantity, sizes, geometrical figures, spatial relations. The main task of parents and teachers is to teach kids to use the material studied in various situations. Moreover, the form of its submission comes to the fore.
Learning by playing
Preschoolers are impulsive and cannot concentrate on boring activities for a long time. Their will is poorly developed, but their emotionality is pronounced. Everything interesting, unusual, amazing attracts their attention and for a long time cuts into memory. Therefore, teachers recommend teaching children discreetly, in the process of specially organized didactic games.
They are based on practical actions with objects, toys. Entertaining math games for preschoolers are very useful: they provide an opportunity to realize the meaning of the studied concepts, ideas. Solving problems about flying birds, give them in the hands of the baby. Compose an exciting story. Show clearly what it means "flew in," "flew away." So that at school age a child can operate with numbers in his mind, he needs to play enough with them, "feel", feel.
Math and life
You can engage with a child for a long time and not get any result. And you can go after the baby and his interests. Literally at every step we are surrounded by material for engaging in interesting mathematics. In the life of preschoolers, there will always be a place for discoveries and miracles. Does the son enthusiastically observe the work of snowplows? Arriving home, suggest using the excavator to remove cotton wool from two paths: short and long. Where was the "snow" more? Why?
Is my daughter ready to listen to a tale about three bears ten times a day? Play the story with toys. Set the table using dishes of different sizes. Divide into all the sweets, add two more spoons of porridge to Mishutka. If the child is interested, his cognitive processes are actively involved.
Is a five-year-old kid trying to decrypt three-digit bus numbers? In the same evening, draw a drawing of public transport and its numbering. A child will quickly orient in hundreds and tens, while he has motivation. But at the same time, he can actively protest against specially organized classes.
Games for younger preschoolers
Classes in mathematics can begin with 3-4 years. At this age, children are able to:
- count to 5;
- operate with the concepts of "more", "less", "the same";
- Compare objects by overlay and group them according to various criteria;
- find an extra element;
- navigate in space (behind the house, inside the box, under the bed, to the left of the door);
- distinguish between geometric shapes and bodies;
- restore the sequence of events ("What happened first, and then what?");
- navigate in time (part of the day, the concepts of "yesterday", "today", "tomorrow").
Interesting math material for preschoolers is easy to find. These are all kinds of board games, books, coloring books. Only not all kids of this age are ready for traditional activities.
Outdoor games
Most kids are not able to sit still. Parents try to use entertaining material in teaching a preschooler elementary mathematics, but the child runs away and hides under the table. In this case, offer the kid the following fun games:
- "Let's jump." On a sheet of cardboard, large-scale draw numbers, geometric shapes, or different numbers of objects. Lay them out on the floor, hold the child by the arms and offer to jump. Loudly name the number or figure you are landing on. When the baby remembers the names of the characters, ask him to look for them on his own.
- "Math hide and seek." Hide the "treasure" in the room and invite the baby to find it, guided by the prompts: "Two steps forward, three steps to the left, one to the right."
- "Run and compare." Lay out cards with numbers and the corresponding number of points in one room. Sit in the kitchen yourself. Give the baby a leaf with a certain number of points and offer to find the same. When it will turn out easily, ask to bring cards on which there are more or less points. Third level - the child receives two cards and must find their amount in the next room.
Role-playing games
Kids are happy to introduce themselves as a doctor, a salesperson or a traffic inspector. Interesting math assignments for preschoolers will fit perfectly into standard role-playing games, while learning will proceed unnoticed. So, buying vegetables in a toy store, the child will consolidate the skills of counting, the concept of magnitude. And if, instead of money, give him circles and squares, then you can recall the geometric shapes. Games with transport allow you to solve puzzles about cars that have left and arrived, will consolidate spatial representations.
It is important to observe the following rules:
- Encourage your child to circle numbers and geometric shapes with their finger. When counting, touch each item in turn, since it is difficult for the baby to follow their eyes.
- When you’ve finished counting, circle the toys in a row with your hand and say: “Only five.” If this is not done, the baby can associate the number with the last item.
- When comparing toys, lay them opposite each other. For example, put a bowl for each dog. The child should clearly see the difference in color or size, to realize what the words “more” and “less” mean.
DIY didactic games
Interesting math classes for preschoolers can include relaxing games at the table. All necessary materials can be purchased in the store or made independently, taking into account the interests of the child. Cut objects of different sizes and colors from cardboard and colored paper, decorate them with different patterns. It can be cars, princesses, cakes, New Year's toys, trains with wagons - all that the fantasy tells you.
Playing with them, you can find paired pictures, arrange the princesses in a row depending on their height, load as many mushrooms in the trailers as the number of windows painted on them. At the same time, the baby will learn to compare objects and group them according to various criteria. It is also useful to decorate a Christmas tree made of paper with given geometric shapes, to make cars, houses and animals from them.
Older preschoolers
By the first class, the child should be able to sort objects into subgroups, compare their number, write numbers, solve examples within the first ten, and distinguish geometric shapes. Children have to master all this at the age of 5-6 years. However, classes should not be a simple memorization of the correct answers. It is important that the children develop logical thinking, quick wit. The search for a solution must be conscious.
Entertaining mathematics for preschoolers 6-7 years old includes non-standard tasks, puzzles, matching objects on several grounds, finding insignificant differences. Many children master the score within a hundred. Classes during this period should be held regularly. The form of presentation of the material while still remains playful.
We study geometric shapes
Older preschoolers already know the basic forms, are actively getting acquainted with various polyhedrons, trapezoids, rhombs. To understand how one figure turns out to be another, conduct experiments. Is it possible to turn a square into several triangles? How to get two rectangles from it? If you cut off one corner of a triangle, what two shapes do you get? Make geometric puzzles for your child. Do not name the figure in advance, let it assemble it yourself.
Useful geometrical ornaments. They can be continued, revealing a general pattern. Or find a lost figure. Practice solving geometric examples. If we add another triangle and a trapezoid to a triangle and two rhombuses, what happens? Let the child lay out the result on the table with the help of geometric shapes, and then write down this example with the help of numbers.
We develop logic
After 5 years, children are actively learning to analyze information, highlight the most important, find relationships, determine patterns. The development of logical thinking of preschoolers by means of entertaining mathematics at this age is very effective. Offer your child the following tasks:
- Dad weighs 80 kg when he stands on two legs. How much will dad weigh if he stands on one leg? (80 kg)
- Mom has 7 sons. Each son has one sister. How many daughters are there in the family? (One.)
- If you tie 6 knots on a rope, how many parts will it be divided into? (On 7.)
- Three fish swam in different aquariums. The red fish splashed not in a square or round aquarium. The goldfish did not dive in a round or oval aquarium. In which aquarium did the silverfish live? (In round.)
- Katya is 10 years younger than Tanya. And Tanya is 3 years older than Vanya. Which of the children is the smallest? (Katia.)
Learning to count
Most children have difficulty mastering the mind count. First graders out of habit resort to the help of fingers. The first step in this direction will be the ability to determine the number of objects per eye. To do this, make 2 decks of cards with different geometric shapes in an amount from 1 to 10. Take one deck for yourself, give the other to the child.
Turn the cards face down, shuffle and lay out one at a time. Whoever has the largest number will take the opponent’s card. If the values are the same, we get another card. There are now 4 of them at stake, and the winner takes everything for himself. The first one left without cards - lost.
Entertaining mathematics for preschoolers 6-7 years old can include familiarity with a score of up to 100. For this, it is convenient to use the textbook beads invented by Montessori. 10 beads are strung on the wire. Tell us that a dozen in Russia called "dtsy". Lay another bead next to it. It turned out to be "eleven". Count to 20. Introduce your child to the double-digit number designation. Every week, go through the top ten until you reach 100.
How much will?
Before school, children should become familiar with addition and subtraction. This can be done unobtrusively with the help of entertaining math problems for preschoolers. They can be found on the Internet or invented by yourself, using the characters of your favorite cartoons.
Solving examples can also be fun. Cut out round "pancakes" from cardboard. Write down an example on the one hand, and the answer on the other. Give your child a kitchen spatula. Let him solve the examples in turn and check his answer by turning the “pancakes” with a spatula. If you make a mistake, the treats burned out.
It is easy to make flowers from colored paper. On the cores, write down the answer options (e.g. 10, 9, and 8). And on the petals - examples. You need to attach them to the cores correctly. Just do not use different colors, because in this case the child will not need to bother with the bill.
Entertaining mathematics for preschoolers is an exciting game through which children imperceptibly master elementary concepts, develop logic, imagination. After such classes, learning at school will be easy, and the exact sciences will become a favorite subject for the child.