Knowledge of math can help children to make sense of the world around them and solve problems in their every day life. These Preschool math skills can also help them when it comes to learning more complicated math as they get older.

What are the Main Pre-K Math Skills?

The main Pre-K math skills your child will begin to learn and understand are:

• Number – this includes number recognition, counting, ordering and understanding that numbers can be represented in different ways.

• Operations – in preschool the main operations children will think about are adding and subtracting but others, like multiplying and dividing may also be learnt. It’s about realising that numbers get bigger if you add and smaller if you take away.

• Shapes and Geometry – being able to recognise and describe shapes, and understanding the relationships between shapes and that they can be rotated and moved whilst still remaining the same shape.

• Measurement – being able to compare and measure things to work out ‘how much’ of something an object has. For example, height, weight, length, etc.

• Data Analysis – starting to think about how to organize and represent information to be able to ask and answer questions.

What Skills Will Help Your Little Ones Learn Math?

The development of math skills isn’t just reliant on their previous mathematical knowledge and skills. There’s actually quite a lot of other skills that come into play as well:

Executive Functions – This includes working memory and the ability for your child to hold information in their mind and manipulate it to solve problems.

Language Skills – This is about your child’s ability to communicate their mathematical thinking. If they have a confident grasp of mathematical language and can use math words to explain what they mean it shows that they have a good understanding of a particular concept.

Motor Skills – Solid fine motor skills are needed for a variety of mathematical activities, for example, touching or moving objects as they count them; stacking blocks and experimenting with shape and space; and of course writing numbers.

Self Regulation – This is your child’s ability to understand and control their emotions and thoughts in different situations. It helps them to be able to order their ideas and exercise control over their problem solving abilities.

”Maths gives children the critical ability to learn and think logically in any field of endeavor.”