Teach math vocabulary to kindergarten & preschool children
Learn how to teach math vocabulary as you and your students participate in math activities and games. Children learn the language of math just like they learn to talk about other topics.
Scheduling time for children to talk about their experiences after playing vocabulary building games allows them the opportunity to use new words.
There are also great children's picture books that reinforce math vocabulary. Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh is a great example.
Build a Wall (or Train) Vocabulary Game
Materials:
A tub of wooden blocks
To Play:
- Ten or so children sit in a circle on the carpet.
- The first child picks a block and says, "My block is a red rectangle shape." The teacher suggests descriptive words if the child needs help.
- The second child then picks a block that is different than the last block chosen.
- He/she picks a block and describes it, then places it next to the last block. "My block is round like a can and is blue." Here the teacher could introduce new vocabulary. "That round shape that Joe picked is called a cylinder."
- The game continues until a wall is made and all the children have had a turn.
Attribute blocks are also terrific for building vocabulary.
Math Vocabulary is Everywhere
There are many opportunities throughout the day to teach math vocabulary to kindergarten and preschool children.
Avoid saying, put the things in the tub, and instead say, put the yellow hexagon blocks in the tub.
Say, pass me the thick, square block, not pass the block or Justin pick up the first block, Anne pick up the second block, and I will pick up the third block. Guide the children if they seem unsure of what to do.
Give children opportunities to use their math vocabulary by asking - How did you make that? Tell me what you were thinking. What kinds of blocks did you use? How are your sets of blocks different from Susan's set of blocks? How are they the same?
Math vocabulary to teach preschool and kindergarten students
Remember that the objective is to introduce math vocabulary to kindergarten and preschool children as they explore math ideas with concrete objects, not to make them memorize vocabulary.
Teach math vocabulary as naturally as you would introduce the names of different foods, animals or toys.
The more children hear math vocabulary used with everyday activities, the more they will begin to use it correctly.
Sorting - sort, classify, order, sequence, shortest to longest, biggest to smallest
Number and number operations - sets, groups, amount, how many, fewer than, more than, greater than, most, least, the same as, equal, different from, guess, estimate, ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, one-half, one-quarter, one-third, first, last, pairs
Geometry - names of pattern blocks: hexagon, trapezoid, rhombus, square, triangle; circle, point, round, flat, curve, line, corner, edge, face, angle, symmetry, cube, sphere, cylinder, cone, oval, straight, diamond, direction
Measurement - measure, taller than, shorter than, wider than, narrower than, length, volume, weight, area, time, hour, minute, second, Celsius or Fahrenheit, degree, centimeter, meter, inches, feet, yards (choose depending on location), distance, increase, decrease, heavier, lighter
Data Analysis- graph, tally, data, bar graph, pie graph, grid, grid paper, more than, fewer than, always, sometimes, never, compare
Calendar - day, yesterday, tomorrow, week, month, year, date, Autumn, Winter, Spring, Summer, seasons, day, night, morning, afternoon, before, after
Money - penny, nickel, dime, quarter, dollar, etc. (according to country currency), cash, bank, save
Position words - near, far, beside, between, inside, outside, above, below, in front, behind, over, under, top, bottom, left, right, closer, further
Teach math vocabulary with everyday things
Whether setting the table, lining up for recess, reading the calendar, displaying collections on the science table, or putting up bulletin board displays there will be opportunities to teach math vocabulary to your kindergarten and preschool students.
Also educational learning materials and supplies provide great opportunities to teach math vocabulary.
Teach math vocabulary with literature, poetry, and songs
The language of math is abundant in children's picture books, poems, and songs.
- Counting songs are plentiful
- Many stories sequence characters from largest to smallest, first to last, talk about day and night, seasons or time
- See the teaching math with literature section
Next time you choose books for your classroom, breeze through them and find opportunities to teach math vocabulary to kindergarten students.
Teach math vocabulary when demonstrating
art activities
- Fold paper in to rectangles and triangles
- Cut straight or curved lines
- Paint thick and thin lines
- Make each line wider or narrower than the line before it
- Glue fewer squares on your picture and more circles
How to teach math pages:
Page 1: How do kids learn math?
Page 2: What to teach...
Page 3: Teach math vocabulary...
