Top Tips to Build Math Skills in Toddlers to Kindergarten: Fun Activities for Ages 2-5

Math can seem daunting, but when introduced in a fun, hands-on way, it becomes a natural part of a child’s daily life. Early exposure to math concepts can set the stage for a positive learning experience that grows with your child. Here are some ways to make math engaging for children ages 2-5.

1. Incorporate Math into Everyday Activities

Teaching math doesn’t always have to involve worksheets or drills. Everyday routines are filled with learnable math moments!

Counting Toys During Cleanup: Turn cleanup time into a counting game! Ask your child to count their toys as they put them away. Not only does this make tidying up more enjoyable, but it also builds their counting skills.
Using Building Blocks for Addition and Subtraction: When playing with building blocks, use them to introduce simple addition and subtraction. For example, you might say, “If we add two more blocks to this stack, how many will we have?”
Measuring While Cooking: Cooking with children is a fun way to practice measurement and comparison. Let them measure ingredients, pour, and even weigh items. Cooking teaches them about volumes, weight, and sequencing, setting a great foundation for math concepts.

2. Math Concepts in Our Busy Books

Our Shapes Busy Book and Numbers and Counting Busy Book are designed to introduce children to early math concepts in an engaging, interactive way. Each book is structured to guide young learners from basic concepts to more advanced ideas, making them ideal for toddlers to kindergarteners.

Shapes Busy Book: This book introduces children to different shapes through activities that enhance spatial awareness and geometry basics. From shape-matching puzzles to real-life shape identification, children learn to recognize shapes in an engaging, hands-on way. They explore circles, squares, triangles, and more, helping them connect these shapes to everyday objects.
Numbers and Counting Busy Book: Focused on building early numeracy, this book guides children in counting, recognizing numbers, and understanding one-to-one correspondence. Activities like number matching and counting exercises keep learning exciting and fun

3. Number Recognition Activities

Learning to recognize numbers is foundational to early math skills, and interactive activities make it enjoyable and memorable.

Number Puzzles: In these puzzles, children match numbers to complete a picture. Not only does this reinforce number recognition, but the satisfaction of completing the puzzle makes learning more rewarding.
Velcro Number Matching with Laminated Sheets: For a tactile learning experience, we recommend that our busy books use Velcro stickers that allow children to match numbers on laminated sheets. This activity helps children connect visual and physical interaction with learning, deepening their understanding of numbers.

4. Fun Counting Activities

Counting activities can be part of playtime, making counting a fun habit rather than a chore.

Counting Objects During Play: Use your child’s favorite toys to practice counting. Hot Wheels cars, stuffed animals, or blocks are great options. For example, you can ask them to line up their toys and count them one by one.
Counting Themed Busy Book Pages: In our busy books, each theme has counting activities. For instance, in the Apple Busy Book, children count apples on a tree, while in the Dinosaur Busy Book, they count dinosaurs. Themed counting activities add a playful element and keep children engaged in counting within different contexts.

5. Teaching Size Concepts: Big and Small

Understanding “big” and “small” is a crucial early math skill. It introduces children to comparison, helping them develop cognitive skills essential for problem-solving.

Using Everyday Objects to Learn Sizes: Introduce size differences with everyday objects. For example:
- Compare a large spoon with a small spoon.
- Show the difference between big and small books.
- Use toys like big and small balls to teach size concepts in a visual and interactive way.
Size-Based Activities in Busy Books: Our busy books feature fun size-sorting activities. Children can identify and sort big and small rockets, cars, or animals. This playful approach makes learning memorable, and because it’s consistent across different themes, children naturally build their understanding of size.

6. Building Shape Recognition Skills

Learning shapes is an essential early math skill, helping children develop visual-spatial awareness. We start with basic 2D shapes like squares, circles, triangles, and rectangles.

Recognizing Shapes with Everyday Objects: Shapes are everywhere! Use objects around the house to reinforce shape learning. For example:
- Point out the circle on a clock or the rectangle of a book.
- Use building toys like Magna-Tiles to create shapes, allowing children to see and feel each shape they’re learning.
Shapes Activities in Busy Books: Our busy books include various activities to help children identify and understand shapes. Examples include:
- Matching Games: Kids match shapes to outlines or find pairs, reinforcing shape recognition.
- Sorting by Shape: Children categorize objects by shapes, like placing a school bus in the rectangle category or a clock in the circle category.
- Writing Shape Names: By tracing and writing the names of shapes, children also practice early writing skills.

7. Recognizing and Creating Patterns

Patterns are an important part of early math that help children develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Recognizing patterns forms the basis for more advanced mathematical concepts.

Starting with Simple Patterns: Begin with simple patterns, such as alternating colors or shapes. Use objects around the house like fruits, crayons, or toys to demonstrate patterns. For example, create a pattern with a sequence of red and blue crayons and ask your child what comes next.
Pattern Activities in Busy Books:
- Pattern Matching: Children complete patterns in our busy books by connecting shapes or colors. This hands-on approach makes learning patterns fun.
- Create-Your-Own Patterns: Encourage creativity by allowing kids to create their own patterns with beads, blocks, or stickers.
- Coloring Patterns: Our coloring pages with patterns encourage children to fill in shapes in a specific order, reinforcing pattern recognition while developing fine motor skills.
Advancing to Complex Patterns: Once they grasp simple patterns, introduce more complex ones, like a three-part sequence (e.g., red, blue, yellow). This gradual progression helps children build on their skills without feeling overwhelmed.
Finding Patterns in Real Life: Reinforce pattern recognition by pointing out patterns in nature, such as the stripes on a zebra or the repeating colors of traffic lights. Real-life patterns help children connect what they learn to the world around them.

The Importance of Engagement and Repetition

Engagement and repetition are key to building math skills. By combining hands-on activities, real-life examples, and consistent practice, our busy books offer a structured way for children to develop a strong foundation in math concepts. Repeating activities in different contexts strengthens children’s understanding and boosts their confidence.

Our busy books transform early math learning into a playful experience, making it enjoyable for children and easy for parents to support learning at home.

Explore our busy books to start your child’s exciting math journey today. Click on each image to learn more about each book’s unique activities and see how they can enhance early learning.