School work for preschoolers: Big triangles, small circles | Kindergarten, Preschool Math Worksheet

52 Fun Activities For Preschoolers

Preschool is certainly a prime time for fun-filled learning activities. While your preschoolers may be too young for traditional lessons, games and activities can be some of the most effective ways for them to practice forming different skill sets. Here is a list of 52 fun and educational activities for them to get stuck into. In this list, you will find activities that can support sorting skills, counting skills, motor skills, creativity, and more! 

1. Color Sorting Train

This color sorting train is a great activity you can try to get your preschoolers to practice identifying and sorting colors. They can practice sorting the items into the correctly colored carts using whatever toys you provide. 

Learn More: Fun Learning For Kids

2. Sort & Count Bottles

If sorting by color alone is too easy, you could use this activity to practice sorting by colors and numbers at the same time! In this exercise, your preschoolers can try to sort the correct number of fuzzy pom poms into the matching colored bottle.

Learn More: The Imagination Tree

3. Counting Flower Petals

I love a good reason to play outside! This flower petal activity involves outdoor exploration and doubles as a great counting exercise. Your preschoolers can practice their number skills by counting the number of petals on the flowers they find.

Learn More: Hands On As We Grow

4. Number Activity With Grain Bins

This number activity is a great fit for a farming or transportation theme lesson. Your preschoolers could practice their farming and counting skills as they unload the correct amount of “grain” into each container. 

Learn More: Hands On As We Grow

5. Clothespin Counting Wheel

Playing with clothespins makes a great motor activity. This activity has learners using their fine motor skills to pinch and manipulate the numbered clothespins to match the correct section of the counting wheel.

Learn More: Keep Toddlers Busy

6. Alphabet Clothespin Activity

Instead of learning with numbers, this task uses clothespins in a letter activity. Your preschoolers can work together to pin the letters in the correct alphabetical order. 

Learn More: What Do We Do All Day

7. Seashell Alphabet Activity

There are plenty of fun activity ideas that use these alphabet labeled seashells. While digging through the sand, your preschoolers can arrange the seashells into alphabetical order, practice pronouncing the letter sounds, or even practice spelling their names!

Learn More: Pre-K Pages

8. Fine Motor Pizza Shop

Who doesn’t love pizza? This activity may not be as satisfying as eating the real thing, but your preschoolers can still have fun making paper pizzas. This would also engage their fine motor skills whilst maneuvering the scissors to cut their toppings. 

Learn More: Frugal Fun For Boys And Girls

9. Fizzing Dinosaur Eggs

Sensory play is a favorite of mine! You can make these easy, homemade fizzing dinosaur eggs (bath bombs) for your preschoolers to play with. Watch them in awe as the eggs hatch before their eyes. 

Learn More: Frugal Fun For Boys And Girls

10. Construction-Themed Sensory Bin

Sensory bins are an amazing preschool activity that can be designed to fit any theme. Through sensory exploration, your kids get to play and learn in a hands-on manner. This construction-themed bin is a great option for preschoolers who like to build.

Learn More: Pre-K Pages

11. Space-Themed Sensory Bin

This space-themed moon sand sensory bin is a great addition to your preschool classroom. Your preschoolers can explore the texture of the moon sand and try to describe how it differs from regular sand.

Learn More: Little Bins For Little Hands

12. Earl The Squirrel Book & Sensory Bin

It’s always great when you can pair play with a story. You can read Earl the Squirrel, during circle time, before letting your kids explore the matching sensory bin. The story will give your preschoolers a purpose for their bin exploration.

Learn More: Little Bins For Little Hands

13. Edible Sensory Ice Cubes

There are many interesting ice activities for your learners to enjoy. This one fits great into a sense theme. Your preschoolers can enjoy the sensory experience of touching the melting ice, smelling the different aromas, and tasting the diverse flavors. 

Learn More: Child’s Play ABC

14. Multi-Shaped Sensory Ice Blocks

You can create different shapes of sensory ice blocks to add to your preschooler’s experience. These might be a bit more difficult to make than the previous option, but it provides a good opportunity to start learning about shapes.

Learn More: Child’s Play ABC

15. Mixing Paint Colors

Mixing paint colors can be a simple yet fun and educational activity for preschoolers. This activity is the perfect opportunity to teach a brief lesson on color theory. Let learners guess what would happen when mixing specific colors together. 

Learn More: Preschool Toolkit

16. Shake Paint Rock Snails

Process art activities are great for introducing a painting theme. In this activity, your preschoolers will shake containers containing paints and rocks. And with the help of your hot glue skills, they can turn these painted rocks into pet snails.

Learn More: Kids Craft Room

17. Bounce Paint Process Art

This bounce paint activity can even double as a physical activity! Using paint and bouncy balls wrapped in yarn, your preschoolers can bounce the balls to create a beautiful art piece. This works best with a big canvas, such as butcher paper.

Learn More: Days With Grey

18. Salad Spinner Art

Salad spinners aren’t just for making salads. They can make beautiful abstract art too! All you have to do is cut out paper to fit the bowl, add paint, and then spin away to create a mixture of beautiful colors.

Learn More: Artful Parent

19. Marble Painting

Just like we’ve learned with the last three activities, we don’t need brushes to paint. Rolling paint-covered marbles on a blank piece of paper can create a wonderful abstract art piece. Be sure to have the paper towels ready for clean up afterwards!

Learn More: Artful Parent

20. Balloon Painting

Here’s another one. Painting with balloons! Painting with all of these various tools can provide a different sensory experience during each process. Simply dip inflated balloons into paint before dotting them onto a piece of paper. 

Learn More: Teaching Ideas

21. Car Track Painting

Do your preschoolers love playing with toy cars? Have they ever tried painting with them? This activity can be an interesting artistic experience as the wheels of the car create a unique texture on the piece of paper.  

Learn More: First Palette

22. Painting on Foil

This activity switches up the typical painting surface rather than switching up the tool. Painting on the foil can be a supplemental activity to your painting theme. Your preschoolers can enjoy a unique experience painting on a slippery surface like tin foil.

Learn More: Taming Little Monsters

23. Sandbox Imaginative Play

You don’t need to go to the beach to have a fun time with sand. You can get a sandbox for your preschoolers to build sandcastles, construction sites, or whatever their imaginations desire. Imaginative play is awesome for getting the creative juices flowing. 

Learn More: Nature of Early Play

24. Make a Stuffed Animal House 

Stuffed animals can be used in plenty of activities for preschool and fit great with a pet theme. Your preschoolers can use their building skills to construct and decorate a home for their stuffed pet animal. 

Learn More: Toddler Approved

25. Stuffed Animal Freeze Dance

You can add a twist to the classic freeze dance activity by adding a stuffed animal into the mix. Throwing and catching stuffed animals during the dance can help engage your preschoolers’ motor skills while they are also having a fun time.

Learn More: The Spruce

26. Popsicle Stick Farm Critters

Look at how cute these fun animal crafts are! If you want to add to this activity, you could run a show & tell activity and have your preschoolers present their decorated popsicle animals while mimicking the animal movements and sounds. 

Learn More: Make and Takes

27. Playdough Play – Roll a Ball or Snake

Developing fine motor skills is one of the many benefits of playdough activities. Rolling playdough into a ball or snake is a great beginner activity for your preschoolers who are just being introduced to the unique material. 

Learn More: Mama OT

28. Playdough Play – Build a Letter

Here is another playdough starter activity that doubles as an excellent letter craft. Your preschoolers can be challenged to build the first letter of their name. I encourage showing different examples before letting your kids do it themselves.

Learn More: Mama OT

29. Playdough Cupcakes

If your preschoolers are ready to take their playdough skills to the next level, they can try their hand at making these colorful cupcakes! These can be great crafts to make at a preschool birthday party. Simply press playdough into muffin molds and decorate using short straws, beads, and other fun objects.  

Learn More: Childcare Land

30. Cactus Playdough Activity

Here is another more advanced playdough craft for your little ones to enjoy!  This build-your-own cactus activity pairs well with a fun preschool theme of plants and will generate cute crafts to decorate your classroom with. All you need is a flowerpot, green playdough, and toothpicks for the thorns!

Learn More: Homeschool AEC

31. Sort Stickers By Size

It’s no secret that preschoolers love stickers! Sorting by size is a wonderful activity to get your preschoolers engaging in their size recognition skills. Simply draw two circles on a piece of paper, one small and one large. Then have your learners sort their stickers! 

Learn More: Days With Grey

32. Sticker Sorting By Category

Size isn’t the only thing that your preschoolers can practice their sorting skills with. The categories you can sort with are almost endless! In an animal theme lesson plan, you can try having your preschoolers sort by animal type.

Learn More: Keep Toddlers Busy

33. Snail Sticker Craft

This sticker activity is a bit easier than the others. Your preschooler’s goal is to simply fill their snail with stickers. For some added difficulty, get them to try to follow a specific color pattern.

Learn More: Messy Little Monster

34. Alphabet Sticker Matchup

This one uses stickers for a letter activity. Your preschoolers can exercise their letter recognition skills by matching the stickers (labeled with letters) to the correctly labeled stars on the worksheet. 

Learn More: Two Pink Peonies

35. Golf Tee Hammering

Golf tees can be used for various fine motor preschool activities. This exercise gets your preschoolers practicing their hammer skills using a mallet and modeling clay. 

Learn More: Montessori From The Heart

36. Golf Tees & Apples

You don’t need a hammer to work with golf tees. Here is an easy, low-prep option. Your preschoolers can develop their fine motor skills by sticking tees into apples. As a bonus, they’ll have an abstract apple craft once complete! 

Learn More: The Dashleys

37. Parachute Play- The Hello Game

Parachute games make awesome physical activities for your younger kids. The Hello Game will familiarize your preschoolers with handling the parachute and only requires lifting the parachute and saying hello to each other!

Learn More: Teach Preschool

38. Parachute Play – Popcorn Game

This popcorn game would get your students shaking and wiggling while they attempt to get all the balls (popcorn) off the parachute. It’s the perfect opportunity to encourage collaborative action and teamwork! 

Learn More: Mrs. Carly Glanzman

39. Parachute Play – Cat & Mouse

This is a classic parachute activity for school. One kid can be the cat, and another can be the mouse. While everyone else is shaking the parachute, the cat will try to chase the mouse while atop the parachute as the mouse scurries beneath. 

Learn More: PhysEd Games

40. Parachute Play – Merry Go Round

This favorite activity will get your preschoolers moving and practicing following instructions. You can give instructions to change directions, change speed, jump, hop, or stop!

Learn More: Mrs. Carly Glanzman

41. The Parachute Dance Song

This parachute game is similar to the merry-go-round activity but comes with a special song! Your preschoolers can have fun dancing along and following the instructions from the lyrics. Jump, walk, run, stop!

Learn More: Maple Leaf Learning

42. Parachute Play – Hair Stylist

Here’s a parachute activity that can teach your kids about static electricity. One kid can go under the parachute while everyone else pulls back and forth on the parachute against the kid’s hair. Then, everyone can lift the parachute and watch the kid’s fancy, upward hairstyle. 

Learn More: Kid Activities

43. Camping Banana Boats

Cooking is a basic skill that is never too early to start learning. If your kids have a sweet tooth, they could have a blast making these delicious banana boats. After they customize their toppings, you can give the boats a quick 10-minute bake in some aluminum foil.

Learn More: Create Kid’s Club

44. PB&J Bird Seed Ornaments

Here is another recipe-based activity that some lucky birds will benefit from. Your preschoolers can help combine the ingredients (peanut butter, birdseed, gelatin, & water) and press the mixture into cookie cutters. You could try this activity in a bird theme unit. 

Learn More: Sugar Spice And Glitter

45. The Toothpaste Lesson

Preschool is the perfect time to teach your kids about kindness. This lesson can teach them about the power of words. When you say something mean, you can’t take it back. Similarly, you cannot put the toothpaste back into the tube once it has been squeezed out.

Learn More: Inspired Elementary

46. Kind Words Sensory Activity

This is another activity about kind versus mean words. You can get your preschoolers to describe and compare the textures of the materials. The soft, fluffy cotton balls could be related to kind words, whereas the rough, gritty sandpaper could be connected to mean words.

Learn More: Preschool Powol Packets

47. Playdough Face Mats

Learning to be kind can go hand-in-hand with learning to be empathetic. A part of empathy is learning to recognize different emotions. These playdough mats can be great for getting your preschoolers to work with their hands and practice identifying emotions.

Learn More: Very Special Tales

48. Feelings Hop Game

This feelings hop game can also teach emotion recognition. As they hop to the different emotions, they will also engage their body awareness as they practice keeping balance. 

Learn More: Kiddie Matters

49. Rubber Glove Science Experiment

Science experiments are among my favorite activities for preschool kids. I love seeing the captivation of my students as they do their experiments. In this science activity, your preschoolers will watch the rubber gloves become inflated with air as they blow into their straws.

Learn More: Teachers Mag

50. Skittles Rainbow Science Experiment

This science experiment is super cool and can even fit into a colors-themed lesson. The candy colors will leak when the skittles are paired with water to create a beautiful rainbow pattern. 

Learn More: Fun With Mama’s Kids

51. Floating Foil Boat Experiment

This can be the perfect activity for teaching your little ones the concepts of floating and sinking. They can test how many stones it takes to make their foil boats sink. 

Learn More: Messy Little Monster

52. DIY Interactive Learning Board

Learning boards can be a great educational resource. You can make learning boards with the weather, insects, the arctic, or whatever beloved preschool theme best fits your lessons. Making them interactive can make them more engaging for your preschoolers.

Learn More: Everything AJA

Related posts:

50 Fun Preschool Learning Activities

When it comes to planning learning activities for preschoolers, it isn’t one size fits all! Preschool teachers and parents like yourself, need to have preschool activities for lesson plans that are easy for young students to understand, many who are not yet reading, and are FUN! Here’s some simple and playful preschool activities your kids will love!

 PRESCHOOL ACTIVITIES FOR PLAY AND LEARNING!

HOW TO MAKE PRESCHOOL FUN

Your time is limited, so it’s important that your preschool activities for the school year and beyond are easy to set-up and provide valuable learning experiences for the youngest students.

Create a life long love of learning with these simple preschool learning activities! We have made it easy for you and divided the activities into STEM, including science and math, art and literacy.

PLAYFUL LEARNING

We have found so many fun ways for kids to play and learn together! Playful learning is about creating joy, wonder, and curiosity. Developing this sense of joy and wonder starts at a young age and adults are a big part of that.

Set up invitations to discover and explore!

• This fosters a huge sense of success in young learners when they make a new discovery. Undoubtedly they will want to show it to you over and over again.
• Many of the early foundations in literacy, science, and mathematics can be achieved through play instead of using worksheets.
• Learning activities improve social skills and aid language development.

Kids love to share what they are doing with you. If you listen and ask questions they will too! If you encourage them to think about an idea, you will be amazed at what they can come up with.

Questions you can ask…

• What do you think will happen if…
• What is happening…
• What do you see, hear, smell, feel…
• What else can we test or explore?

50+ THINGS TO DO WITH PRESCHOOLERS

Never run out of ideas for fun preschool activities to do at home or in the classroom.

We love science activities around here. Preschool science offers room for play and exploration without adult-led directions. Kids will naturally start to pick up the simple science concepts presented just through having a fun conversation about it with you!

BAKING SODA AND VINEGAR

Who doesn’t like a fizzing, foaming chemical eruption? From an erupting lemon volcano to our simple baking soda balloon experiment.. Check out our list of baking soda science activities to get started!

BALLOON CARS

Explore energy, measure distance, build different cars to explore speed and distance with simple balloon cars. You can use Duplo, LEGO, or build your own car.

BUBBLES

Can you make a bubble bounce? Explore the simple fun of bubbles with these easy bubble experiments!

BUTTER IN A JAR

All you need is one simple ingredient for delicious homemade butter in a jar. Learning through edible science!

DINOSAUR FOSSILS

Be a paleontologist for a day and make your own homemade dinosaur fossils and then go on your own dinosaur dig. Check out all our fun preschool dinosaur activities.

DISCOVERY BOTTLES

Science in a bottle. Explore all kinds of simple science ideas right in a bottle! Check out a few of our easy science bottles or these discovery bottles for ideas. They are perfect for themes too like these Earth Day ones!

FLOWERS

Have you ever changed the color of a flower? Try this color-changing flower science experiment and learn about how a flower works! Or why not try growing your own flowers with our list of easy flowers to grow.

ICE CREAM IN A BAG

Homemade ice cream is yummy edible science with only three ingredients! Don’t forget the winter gloves and sprinkles. This gets cold! You may also like our snow ice cream recipe.

ICE MELT SCIENCE

An ice melt activity is simple science you can set up in many different ways with many different themes. Ice melting is a wonderful introduction to a simple science concept for young kids! Check out our list of ice activities for preschool.

MAGIC MILK

Magic milk is definitely one of our most popular science experiments. Plus, it is just plain fun and mesmerizing!

MAGNETS

What’s magnetic? What’s not magnetic. You can set up a magnet science discovery table for your kids to explore as well as a magnet sensory bin!

OOBLECK

Oobleck is 2 ingredient fun using kitchen cupboard ingredients. It is a great example of a non-Newtonian fluid. Also makes for fun sensory play. Make classic oobleck or colored oobleck.

Click here to get your FREE printable preschool science pack!

PLANTS

Planting seeds and watching plants grow is the perfect spring preschool science activity. Our simple seed jar science activity is an excellent way to see how a seed grows! Make sure to check out all our other preschool plant activities.

RUBBER EGG EXPERIMENT

Try the egg in vinegar experiment. You need a little patience for this one {takes 7 days}, but the end result is really cool!

SINK OR FLOAT

Test what sinks or floats with common everyday items with this easy sink or float experiment.

SLIME

Slime is one of our favorite activities for anytime, and our simple slime recipes are perfect for learning about non-Newtonian fluids. Or just make slime for fun sensory play! Check out our fluffy slime!

FOR MORE PRESCHOOL SCIENCE ACTIVITIES…

You can check out more science activities for preschoolers which includes additional resources to help you get started.

Early math skills start with lots of playful opportunities that don’t have to be extensively planned ahead of time. Check out these simple preschool activity ideas using every day items.

Inspired by Dr. Seuss and a favorite book, The Cat In The Hat, build patterns with Lego.

You can keep Pi really simple for young kids and still have fun and teach a little something too. We have several easy to set up geometry activities for Pi Day. Explore, play, and learn with circles.

Pumpkins really do make awesome tools for hands-on math learning. There are so many awesome pumpkin activities you can try with even one small pumpkin.

Teach number sense using our ten frame math printable sheet and Duplo blocks.  Make different combinations of 10 for hands-on math learning.

Make math learning playful with fun water play!  Hands-on learning with our water balloon number activity is the perfect way to keep learning going all year long. 

Measuring hands and feet is a super simple preschool math measuring activity! We chose to use our unifix cubes to measure our hands and feet.

Practice addition and subtraction of single digit numbers with these Lego Math Challenge Cards.

Create fun geometric shapes and patterns in minutes with a simple geoboard you can make yourself.

Explore understanding of mathematical concepts such as full, empty, more, less, even, same while filling measuring cups with corn as part of a fun farm theme math activity.

Check out more math preschool activities!

Preschoolers need the freedom to explore and experiment. Art allows children to practice a wide range of skills that are useful not only for life but also for learning.

Blow Painting with Straws

Bubble Painting

Cinnamon Salt Dough

Finger Painting

Fly Swatter Painting

Edible Paint

Handprint Flowers

Ice Cube Art

Magnet Painting

Painting with Marbles

Rainbow In A Bag

Rainbow Snow

Salt Dough Beads

Salt Painting

Scratch Resist Art

Splatter Painting

Looking for more fun and easy preschool art ideas? Check out our process art activities, famous artists for kids as well as these easy homemade paint recipes.

MORE FUN PRESCHOOL ACTIVITY IDEAS

• Dinosaur Activities
• Best Games
• Earth Day Activities

FUN PRESCHOOL ACTIVITIES FOR LEARNING ALL YEAR LONG!

Click on the link or on the image below to check out more preschool science experiments.

Homework for children – Family and children – Homework

• home

• Family and Children

• Homework for kids

It seems to you that the child is very small and it is a pity to burden him with household chores. But at what age is it best to teach a baby to work?

27 Jul 2012

Author:

Veronica Bathan

Homework
Some mothers make preschool children wash dishes and glue torn books, others wash clothes and sew on buttons for teenagers. Thirty years ago, in the unforgettable Soviet Union, the question of the participation of boys and girls in household chores did not even arise, because most parents had no choice. Mom and dad worked, from household appliances in the house there were a clumsy washing machine and a bulky vacuum cleaner, and without the help of the younger ones, they could not cope with the household. Clumsies, “masters”, whom their parents did not teach to sew on buttons, cook sausages and scrub floors, caused bewilderment in adults and ridicule among peers.

Now the situation has changed – more and more mothers choose freelance or household, more and more various household appliances appear in stores, there is no need to salvage torn tights or hand-wash soiled trousers. You can raise princes and princesses from babies, give them a happy childhood … By the way, the last Russian princesses, daughters of Nicholas II, darned clothes themselves and learned housekeeping.

There is no unequivocal answer – parents who are sure that their child will earn money for servants and a “smart home” are also right in something. In addition, some household skills are becoming obsolete – it is unlikely that our children will have to boil their own laundry, sew their own dresses or knock together stools. But basic knowledge of home economics will benefit the child in an independent life. Remember how Cinderella in the movie won the heart of the old king by sewing on his collar?

It is better for boys and girls to give the same basic lessons – a wife who can not only cook borscht, but also screw in a light bulb is valued as highly as a husband who can fry a chicken himself and wash his socks. And there is nothing shameful if the father shows his daughter how to clean the starter or solder the microcircuit, and the mother teaches her son how to cook a multi-tiered cake.

Children should be dealt with unobtrusively, taking into account the individual characteristics and level of development of the child – one at the age of five can already be entrusted with a needle and hammer, the other will knock off a finger even at ten. Use the principle of Tom Sawyer, who made the boys voluntarily paint the fence instead of him – get interested, in front of the baby, do homework with enthusiasm and pleasure. Do not scold if the child does not succeed, or he forgets about his duties, but praise and encourage every effort or initiative. Discuss where the acquired skills will be useful – in a children’s camp, a student hostel, a long trip, a future family. Do not insist – constant coercion can bring up a steady aversion to household chores, especially among boys.

How many skills a child needs to master depends on the individual child, their inclinations and needs. All adults can read and write, but some write “transcendental congruence” without errors and are able to make an adventurous romance from a business trip report, while others deduce “ka-ro-va” and cannot connect two words on paper. So, in what order should home economics be taught?

Two or three years. Teaching a child to clean up after themselves – put toys in place, put a plate in the sink. We offer “everyday games” – a wooden needle with large beads, a designer, sets such as “little cook”, “little mechanic”.

Four or five years. We teach the child to clean up after everyone – put the dishes in the sink, wipe the table, sweep the floor in the corridor. We buy simple sets for needlework and mechanical games, show how to hold a hammer, needle, scissors. Please help in the kitchen – peel a banana or tangerine, stir the dough, wash vegetables or herbs. Together with the child, we repair books or toys torn by him.

Six or seven years. We teach you to take care of your belongings – put clothes on shelves and in drawers, hang them on hangers, put soiled things in the dirty laundry bin. We show how to clean clothes and shoes with a brush. We give to clean vegetables, help to sculpt cutlets, make sandwiches, mix salad. Wash floors and dishes together. We show first aid skills – how to wash the wound with peroxide, stick a band-aid.

Seven to eight years old. Learning to wash by hand – for starters, socks and underwear. We show you how to drive a nail, drive a screw, soak the wash, apply a patch. We tell you why we need certain household chemicals. We teach how to turn on the electric stove, boil eggs, pasta, dumplings, sausages, heat up food in the microwave. We show you the phones to call in emergencies, explain how to call and what to say.

Nine to ten years. From time to time we offer to do a complete cleaning in the nursery, wash the floors and wipe the shelves. We grant the right to take care of clothes and shoes ourselves, together we make minor repairs to clothes. We show you how to use a washing machine, hand wash large items, remove stains, clean burnt dishes, clean plumbing, wash windows, take care of pets. We teach how to use gas, cook simple dishes – meatballs, porridge, a simple salad. If the child is interested, we begin to teach him to sew, carpentry or cook more complex dishes.

Eleven-twelve years old . We show basic electrical engineering – how to fix plugs, screw in a light bulb, de-energize an apartment. Together we do minor household repairs, glue wallpaper, clean sinks, and teach how to diagnose minor household problems. If you wish, we continue classes on basic first aid – how to treat a cold, pull out a splinter, give a massage, how to rinse your mouth, etc.

A thirteen-year-old teenager should be able to do the same things in the house that his parents can do. Believe me, these skills will make life easier for you and him!

Effective work of the kindergarten and school for the mathematical development of children.

Efficient work of the child
kindergarten and school

for mathematical development
children.

1. Requirements of the modern primary
schools to the mathematical development of children

2. Continuity in the content and
methods of teaching mathematics

3. Indicators of children’s readiness for
learning mathematics in first grade

Modern elementary school requirements for mathematical development
children

Successes
in school education largely depend on the quality of knowledge and skills,
formed in preschool years, on the level of development of cognitive interests and
cognitive activity of the child. The school constantly raises the requirements for
intellectual, in particular mathematical, development of children.

This
due to such objective reasons as scientific and technological progress,
the increase in the flow of information, the changes taking place in our society,
especially in economic life, improving the content and increasing the importance
mathematical education, transition to school from the age of six, etc.

These
requirements are natural and their implementation is possible if the educational
work in kindergarten and school will represent a single developing process.

Creation
unified system of upbringing and education of the younger generation
provides for an inseparable connection, logical continuity in the work of all
links of this system, in this case in kindergarten and school.

Succession
– this is a reliance on the past, the use and development of knowledge available to children,
ideas, modes of action. It means expansion and deepening.
this knowledge, awareness of what is already known at a new, higher level.
Continuity is expressed in the fact that each lower link is promising
is aimed at the requirements of the subsequent one and ensures the continuity of all stages
education.

Training
preschoolers as the primary link in education focuses on opportunities
children of this age, as well as the requirements of modern primary education.
Both of these conditions determine the content, organizational forms, methods and
means of education.

One of
the very first requirement of elementary school is that graduates
preschool institutions to form an interest in learning activities, a desire
to learn, to create a solid foundation of elementary mathematical knowledge and skills.

However
the modern school is not satisfied with the formal assimilation of these knowledge and skills.
Further education at school usually depends on the quality of acquired knowledge, their
awareness, flexibility and strength. Therefore, graduates of preschool institutions
must consciously, with an understanding of the essence of phenomena, be able to use the acquired
knowledge and skills not only in the usual, stereotyped, but also in the changed situation,
in new, unusual circumstances (play, work).

One of
the main requirements of elementary education for mathematical preparation is
in the further development of the thinking of preschoolers. Math is deep
logical science. Introducing a child even to elementary elementary mathematics
absolutely impossible without a sufficient level of development of logical thinking.

Contemporary
the school requires from a child who begins education in the first grade, a high
working capacity, complex forms of mental activity, formed
moral and volitional qualities already in the preschool years. Fulfillment of all these requirements
contributes to the overall readiness of the child for schooling.
Only against the background of the general readiness of the child is his mathematical preparation capable of
ensure the assimilation of mathematics at school, the further development of interest in mathematical
activities.

Continuity in the content and methods of teaching mathematics

Implementation
continuity in the work of kindergarten and school is to
to develop in a preschooler a readiness to perceive a new way of life, a new
regime, develop the emotional-volitional and intellectual abilities of the child,
which will give him the opportunity to master a broad cognitive program.

B
the program in mathematics can be conditionally divided into five sections:

–
knowledge about
number and count,

–
size,

–
form,

–
space,

–
time.

Assimilation
programs, as emphasized earlier, provides preschool graduates
proficiency in mathematics in school. So, to master the knowledge of the first topic
programs in the first grade “Ten” children have a sufficient level of knowledge. They
know how to count objects, sounds, movements well, have learned the names well,
the sequence and notation of the first ten numbers of the natural series.
The formation of the concept of number and arithmetic operations on them was carried out
in kindergarten and continues into the first grade based on practical
operations with different finite sets. Experience contributes to this
previously acquired by the children.

B
the first grade is a further deepening of knowledge about the relationship between adjacent
numbers of the natural series, the skills of establishing a one-to-one
correspondences between elements of two sets by superposition, application and
comparing numbers.

B
kindergarten, attention is paid to the development of special terminology: names
numbers, actions (add and subtract), signs (plus, minus, equal). IN
school deepens the process of enriching children’s speech with special terms. Children
learn the names of the data and the desired, the components of the actions of addition and
subtraction, learning to read and write the simplest expressions, etc.

Studying
topic “Ten”, first-graders deepen their knowledge of geometric shapes,
and above all about polygons (triangles, quadrilaterals, etc.) and
their elements (sides, corners, vertices). Initial knowledge about this was obtained in
kindergarten. They already know how to highlight the shape of surrounding objects, using
this geometric figure as a standard. Relying on material objects
around, models and images of figures, children compare, match figures between
itself, and this contributes to the development of inductive and deductive thinking,
forms the ability to draw simple conclusions. Especially important at this age
providing targeted and sufficiently complete for this level of knowledge
analysis of the figure, on the basis of which the essential features and
abstraction from non-essentials.

First graders
learn to highlight right and indirect angles, draw segments of different lengths,
depict geometric shapes in squared notebooks. They prepared for it
still in kindergarten.

Positive
influence the formation of knowledge about the number of children’s ideas about continuous
values, which is provided for by the kindergarten program, as well as skills in
measurement by a conventional measure and such generally accepted measures as a meter, a liter,
kilogram. In the first grade, children continue to measure length, mass,
capacity, volume. Gradually, starting from kindergarten and continuing this work
at school, children are led to understand the functional relationship between
measured value, measure and measurement result (number of measures). All these
knowledge expands the concept of number, develops the child’s thinking, his interests and
capabilities.

B
the first class program provides for further deepening of knowledge about
spatial and temporal relationships.

How
can be seen from a comparative analysis of kindergarten and first grade programs,
program requirements of educational work successively
interconnected. Preschool workers should be well aware of the requirements
schools, while not only the volume, content of knowledge, but also their quality
features – state standard: what kind of knowledge and skills
essential for first graders. At the same time, it is very important that school teachers
had a clear idea of ​​the level of preparation of children for school. In such
case, the teacher will know what to rely on, what to build on,
starting work on the first class program. 9Form
readiness for school means to create conditions for successful assimilation
children of the curriculum and their normal entry into the student team.
One of the important indicators of special (mathematical) readiness is
preschoolers have certain knowledge, skills and abilities. As shows
analysis of pedagogical work, the level of assimilation of this knowledge, skills and abilities
depends on the age, individual characteristics of children, as well as on the condition
educational process in kindergarten.

Level
it is easier to determine the acquisition of knowledge than the degree of mastering the methods of educational
activities, especially the degree of formation of cognitive interests and abilities.
In this regard, in order to highlight general educational skills, it is necessary to select tasks
in pairs: for example, the first task – guess, count, show, etc., the second task
– explain, prove, tell, etc.

Second
the task for children is more difficult, but it is its performance that indicates the level
child’s readiness for school. The readiness level of six- and seven-year-old children
school age can be determined using both group and
individual examination.

Important
indicator during the examination – the productivity of attention (according to adapted
correction tables), features of mental development and educational
activities. Individual examination allows the educator to create
an idea of ​​the characteristics of children’s speech, the general level of knowledge and special
mathematical preparation.

How
diagnostic (test) exercises L.A. Levinova advises to use
tasks of this type.

Job
1. Child
show a card with randomly placed numbers and ask them to name and
show them.

Job
2. The child is asked to name the numbers
related to those named.

Job
3. before
child a piece of paper with two rows of circles on it. Top row – eight
large circles, the bottom – nine small ones, which are placed on a smaller
distance one from one than large. The question is posed: “What circles
more? Which ones are less?

Reference
4. Child
show three pictures in turn: “Apple tree”, “Airport”, “Girl with flags”.
Ask them to come up with a problem for each picture and solve it.

Job
5. The child is shown a picture
“Houses”. Please look at the picture carefully and say what
he recognizes geometric figures on it (square-shaped windows, doors –
rectangular, etc.).

Job
6. Before the child lies eight figurines
four colors: three red, two green, two blue, one yellow. caregiver
asks: “How many different colors are there?”

Job
7. There is a picture in front of the child, on
which depicts ten different objects placed in a row. Asking for an answer
to the question: “How many objects are there? How did you count? Where is the house?
How many pyramids are there? etc.

By
the degree of success of the task, you can identify the level of mathematical
child’s readiness for school. These data should be supplemented with systematic
observations, individual conversations with children.

Success
education of children at school is associated not only with the presence of preschoolers
a certain amount of knowledge. Even the ability to count and solve problems does not have
this of decisive importance.

School
training makes the main requirements, first of all, to the mental
activities. In this regard, the level of development of mental abilities is one
important indicator of a child’s readiness for school. Children should be taught to observe
analyze, summarize, draw conclusions. Intelligence Capabilities
expand in the process of active and purposeful familiarization with objects and
perceptions of the environment, the laws of nature, the peculiarities of the relationship between
people.

Experience
work at school indicates that the opportunities for teaching pupils
kindergartens is significantly higher than for children who come to school from
families. Kindergarten pupils have sufficient experience of arbitrary
behavior, a large amount of mathematical knowledge, a fairly high level
development of cognitive interests and abilities. And it depends, first of all,
from the organization of the pedagogical process in kindergarten.

Initial
The school is designed to help students develop their full potential,
develop initiative, independence, creativity.

To go
from preschool to school, primary school teachers need to
follow recommendations:

1. Do not
ignore the objective age-related patterns of child development,
characteristic of six years of age.