Teach math vocabulary to kindergarten
& preschool children

Learn how to teach math vocabulary and specific words as you demonstrate math activities and when you talk to your students about their math experiences. Children learn the language of math just like they learn to talk about other topics.

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 suggest descriptive words if the child needs help.

The second child has to pick 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

Attribute blocks There 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. Say, 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?

Some math vocabulary to teach to your kindergarten students

Please note 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. Introduce 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

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, near, far, 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

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)

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.

TEACHER TIP

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

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

Return from "Teach math vocabulary" to "Teach kindergarten and preschool math"

All math pages:

Teaching kindergarten & preschool math - how to teach kindergarten and preschool math concepts, sample step-by-step teach measurement, activities and games
Teaching with math manipulatives - how to teach with math manipulatives to help children understand math concepts
Best math manipulatives - choose materials that are useful for more than one math concept, work well for problem solving activities and are tough enough to withstand constant play
Teaching math vocabulary - learn how to teach math vocabulary and specific words as you demonstrate math activities and talk to your students about their math experiences.
Attribute blocks - how to use these math manipulatives for different features: shape, color, size and thickness to help promote logical thinking
Graphing 1 - how to teach graphing to preschool and kindergarten children, includes collecting data and organizing it in a variety of ways
Graphing 2 - more graphing ideas for young children
Measurement - how to find measurement to young children, find opportunities for students to order objects by size, color, shape...
Number Activities - how to provide experiences that build number sense
Number Games - how to improve children's number sense with easy games
Number Skills - what number skills do children need to know?
Pattern 1- how to teach children pattern concepts
Pattern 2 - ideas and games to teach children to recognize, create, copy and extend patterns
Pattern 3 - teach patterning skills to early childhood and preschool students
Sorting and classifying- how to teach children the important skills of sorting, comparing and classifying objects

Math & Literature Connections - how to combine math and literature, learn how to promote math skills as you share good literature
            Ten Apples Up on Top - open-ended math activity with Dr. Suess
            10 Little Rubber Ducks - ideas to promote math with this wonderful Eric Carle story
            1, 2, 3 to the Zoo - another great Eric Carle book, practice counting, making number sets, ordinal numbers and more

Teach math vocabulary to kindergarten & preschool children