Montrose Messenger
Week of October 5, 2020
Number Concept Activities
Put small objects in a row. Gather some coins and ask your child how many there are. After they have counted them, rearrange them in a circle or row, and ask again. Don't be surprised if they have to count them for a second time.
Find objects that go together. If your child has difficulty with one-to-one correspondence, find objects that correlate—such as spoons and forks, cups and saucers and ask them to pair them together. As they do, have them count each set of objects to help reinforce the idea that each pair consists of the same number.
Play board games that involve counting. Simple board games like Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders help preschoolers recognize numbers on a dice and count moves. More complex games involve two dice instead or one or doubling the number that comes up for each move.
Geometry and Spatial Understanding Activities
Identify shapes in your home. Find basic shapes around the home, such as rectangles in light switches, squares in window panes, and circles in clocks. Ask your child to explain how they differentiates each shape by their defining features (for instance, a triangle has three connected sides).
Talk about picture placement in a book. When reading, use spatial language to discuss the placement of pictures. Ask related questions such as "Where is the moon? Is it above the tree? Is it under the tree?" Or reference sizes by asking, "Is the hippopotamus bigger than the monkey? Which animal is bigger? Which animal is smaller?"
Measurement Activities
Measure while you cook or bake. Fill measuring cups with water or flour—and measuring spoons with vanilla extract—to introduce your kids to whole numbers and fractions. Ask questions such as "Can you fill a half cup? Can you fill one teaspoon?"
Guess weight at the supermarket. The next time you visit the grocery store, pull two different items from the shelves and ask your child which one is heavier: "Is it the can of soup or the box of crackers?" Children will learn how to understand the concepts of heaviness and lightness.
Compare feet sizes. Place your foot next to your child's foot and ask which is longer or bigger. Have a ruler or tape measure on hand to compare the sizes and help them differentiate between long and short, large and small
Professional Development Day - 11:30 Dismissal October 13
Montrose Early Childhood Center
Website: somsd.k12.nj.us/montrose
Location: 356 Clark Street, South Orange, NJ, USA
Phone: (973) 378-2086