Numbers are all around us – even in our homes! A number search is a great indoor activity to build your preschooler’s early math skills.
You and your child
Paper and pencil
Pick a number between 1 and 20. Have your child practice writing or tracing the chosen number on a piece of paper.
Have your child search around the house to find that number of things and bring it back to you. Try giving specific instructions of what they have to find (for example, four spoons, or six socks) for your child to follow.
Once your child brings the objects back to you, have your child count the objects out loud. Work together to find out if your child brought back the correct number of things and figure out how many more or less objects are needed.
After each round, ask your child which group has the most and least objects. Comparing quantities is an early math skill.
After doing this a few times, count all the objects out loud together. Practice using the words “add,” “plus,” and “more” as you count the different groups of objects together. These are important math words to develop early math skills.
For children who want an extra level of excitement, you can use a timer to see how long it takes them to find each group of objects.
This activity helps your child develop early math, social, language, early writing, and cognitive skills.
