Listed below are materials that you can use in your math activities. You don’t need to use exactly what are suggested – these are just ideas.
Whatever materials you collect, be sure to keep them handy in an old ice-cream bucket or shoe box,or something similar so that they are readily available for your “instructional” use and your child’s non-instructional play.
Involve your child in as many activities as possible. Collect the items together. Keep the items in a “Math Center.” The best person to help you to get ideas about what to collect is your child.
| Item | Notes |
| Objects small enough so that 5 can fit in your hand. e.g. crayons, lego, pennies, golf balls. | Try to avoid small objects that can be easily ingested by young children. Do not use uncooked, raw kidney beans as they are highly toxic. |
| Number flash cards from 0 to 100. download attachments | You can use these five documents to printout and cut up to make the cards. Remember, do this with your child. |
| Fraction flash cards – one whole, one half, one third, and one quarter | You can download, print, and cut this document to get these fraction cards. |
| Collection of money. 100 pennies, 10 dimes, 5 nickels, 4 quarters | You may want to buy a “toy” cash register (maybe at a garage sale?). You can buy play money but I recommend that you use real money to continue to build the connections between the math play and the real world. |
| 10 paper plates for sorting and comparing | |
| Play dough | |
| Sand | |
| Pudding mix | Preferably chocolate – yum yum! |
