Showing posts with label sorting for preschoolers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sorting for preschoolers. Show all posts
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Math Skills Using an Old Pickle Jar
My Dilemma
Hubby finished a jar of pickles the other day. Is it just me or does it take forever to finish an entire jar of pickles? Anyway, he knows about all the projects we've been doing lately so he jokingly asked me if I could find a use for his old pickle jar. I immediately said of course I could! When he left the room though, I became slightly concerned. First of all, it still smelled a lot like pickles. More specifically, it smelled like old pickles. Eww. Second, it's glass. I suddenly had a premonition of the kids playing tug of war with it on the tile floor amidst lots of screaming and then CRASH!! With this in mind, I put the pickle jar in the cabinet and several weeks went by without any ideas. But then I heard Munchkin Girl counting and she kept skipping the number 9 and that gave me an idea for the smelly pickle jar. We filled it up with colored Pom Poms. Then we made a game out of it by guessing how many were in there...Munchkin Girl guessed 11.
Next, we pulled them out one by one and counted as they came out. Munchkin Girl started organizing them by color without me even suggesting it. She had them all in neat little piles and this just reinforced how much kids like to "sort" things. I've seen it before, but I am always amazed by how true it really is.
Then we cleaned up everything and did it over and over again. I wasn't sure how much she would like this game, but she really enjoyed it. We got silly while we counted and she giggled a lot. I think we ended up doing it about five times before she got bored. Now she finally doesn't skip 9 anymore when she counts! Woot woot! Even her little brother (2 years old) enjoys this game and does his version of counting "one, two thee, fiii!" and then puts everything into little piles.
So, why is it that children love to sort so much? Susan Case is a former Kindergarten teacher and we have collaborated many times on various projects with my kids (In other words, I can't figure out what I'm doing and I run to her for help, and she gives me advice). I asked her why kids like to sort so much and whether there was anything else I could do to reinforce this counting challenge Munchkin Girl has been having.
Ms. Susan's Advice
Children can learn sorting at an early age. Some child development theorists think that young children spend 40% of their time seeking and working out mathematical concepts. When children learn to sort, they are learning skills that will lead them to patterning, which will help them learn to read. Provide opportunities for children to group objects by attributes - or by color, shape, size or texture. Use objects that are interesting to a child - perhaps some things picked up on a walk such as sticks, leaves and rocks - or sort leaves by their color or shape.
SORT BY ATTRIBUTES:
- Color: beads, buttons, apples, colored paper, Pom Poms, pipe cleaners
- Shape: pieces of paper cut into shapes, buttons, pipe cleaners, coins
- Size: action figures, blocks, beenie babies, dolls
- Texture: feathers, shells, rocks, toys
Children enjoy matching games using cards of their favorite characters or with objects real in their environment which increases their vocabulary. Another way to increase vocabulary is to compare objects such as same/different, few/many, short/long, heavy/light, green/blue.
Sorting Game: What is Different?
2 socks/1 book
3 apples/1orange
3 red legos/1green lego
The objective is provide opportunities for learning while making it enjoyable using objects that are interesting. Compliment children often for their accomplishments as they explore their ever expanding world.
Susan is the author of Kindergarten: Tattle-Tales, Tools, Tactics, Triumphs and Tasty Treats for Teachers and Parents. You can visit Susan at her blog Kindergarten & Preschool for Parents & Teachers.
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Tuesday, February 21, 2012
How to Start Developing Math Skills in Your Toddlers and Preschoolers
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Did you know that only 25% of the human brain is developed at birth? A large part of the remaining 75% of the development comes before age five, through interesting stimulation and activities.
So I know we're supposed to make sure that our kids get plenty of opportunities to learn, but I'm also a realist. I still need to pay the bills, make dinner and do the laundry so for a long time I wondered how in the world I was supposed to find the time to "teach" my young children. Plus, I don't want life to be a grind. I want to enjoy my kids and watch them play and have fun in life but I still have to get stuff done!
Since then, I have spent countless hours researching and experimenting with activities and crafts for preschoolers. It turns out that research shows that kids who are challenged behave better...who knew! Plus, I have found that once I introduced playful learning activities, my kids became more independent, which gave me more free time and made us a more balanced family.
I have teamed up with fellow blogger, former Kindergarten teacher, and author, Susan Case. We are co-writing a book about activities to do with children to keep them busy at home so Moms can still get chores done AND promote healthy learning through play. As we were collaborating on writing, I learned a lot from Susan. One idea I got from her was related to patterning. Here is an excerpt from our book which will be available this spring (this is one of Susan's parts).
So I know we're supposed to make sure that our kids get plenty of opportunities to learn, but I'm also a realist. I still need to pay the bills, make dinner and do the laundry so for a long time I wondered how in the world I was supposed to find the time to "teach" my young children. Plus, I don't want life to be a grind. I want to enjoy my kids and watch them play and have fun in life but I still have to get stuff done!
Since then, I have spent countless hours researching and experimenting with activities and crafts for preschoolers. It turns out that research shows that kids who are challenged behave better...who knew! Plus, I have found that once I introduced playful learning activities, my kids became more independent, which gave me more free time and made us a more balanced family.
I have teamed up with fellow blogger, former Kindergarten teacher, and author, Susan Case. We are co-writing a book about activities to do with children to keep them busy at home so Moms can still get chores done AND promote healthy learning through play. As we were collaborating on writing, I learned a lot from Susan. One idea I got from her was related to patterning. Here is an excerpt from our book which will be available this spring (this is one of Susan's parts).
"When children sort and pattern, they actually learn mathematical skills. Children begin sorting things at an early age. In fact, according to some researchers, young children spend over 40 percent of their time sorting objects into sets, counting objects, or exploring patterns and forms. You don’t have to buy expensive computer games or use explicit mathematical instruction for your child to learn math. They are doing it naturally. Take advantage of teachable moments and extend their learning. Provide materials for them to feel, manipulate, sort, and count. First, they will be interested in the texture or form or movement of an object. Then they may line up a row of cars, eventually putting an object beside each car (matching and one-on-one correspondence). They are learning about more and less; smaller and bigger; and conservation. You don’t need to buy anything special. Play math games with whatever interests your child: dolls, action figures, marbles, cotton balls, or swings at the park. Count trees as you take a walk. A parent’s role is to provide opportunities for growth but also to let children expand their learning in their own way. Listen and watch. You will be amazed at how much time children spend enjoying math discovery—which is helping them acquire reading and science skills during the process.”
So, one day I was looking for a rainy day activity. We set up a sensory bowl with lots of colorful objects. We used pom poms, rocks, colorful Popsicle sticks, and several other items we had around the house. The kids were immediately intrigued.
Then I set up bowls for sorting the pom poms into different colors. I put several of the same color into a bowl to show them what to do. First they stayed busy just feeling and moving the pom poms. Then they began to sort them by color into the bowls.
We did that for a few minutes, and once they lost interest in sorting I let them take the lead. That's the thing about these types of games. I didn't push sorting because I didn't want to make it something they didn't enjoy. Instead, I sat back and let them create what they wanted. Pretty soon it turned into a pouring game, which is also great for fine motor:
Then, by the end, they both started making "soup". They asked me to get out spoons and they spent about 30 minutes soup, baking the soup in the pretend kitchen, etc.
For me, this was a huge success. First, it kept them busy for over an hour, which is kind of the whole point, right? Second, they practiced their sorting and patterning, then they practiced fine motor, and finished up with some good imaginary play. After all, playing is a child's work.
If you enjoyed this post, you will love our book! Susan and I teamed up and released The Happy Mommy Handbook: The Ultimate How-to Guide on Keeping Your Toddlers and Preschoolers Busy, Out of Trouble, and Motivated to Learn in July, 2012. If you have ever tried to cook dinner while your kid clings to your leg and cries, this is the book for you! As we did above, we give you a Mom's point of view and a teacher's point of view, so that you can do activities that not only keep the kids busy, but also keep them motivated to learn and develop their natural curiosity. Kids behave better when they are given challenging projects to work on, which will in turn give you more free time to do the things you really need to do, like washing dishes, paying bills, and relaxing so that you can be a better Mom!
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