One of the best ways to introduce basic mathematical concepts to children is through play. Counting, addition, and subtraction are incredibly easy to adapt to a play environment. Miniature cars, stuffed animals, and toys that can be easily manipulated by little hands are perfect for learning some early math!
Each month we get different shape and counting manipulatives from our preschool curriculum, Mother Goose Time. This month we received some very popular dinosaur counters to go along with our theme of Dinosaur Dig! The dinosaur counters have been used to complete a variety of math related activities including “Math Stories.”
Math Stories
Math Stories are simple scenarios that engage the children in recreating play based scenarios, while also practicing some simple math skills. Here are the four math scenarios featured in this month’s dinosaur themed Math Story Cards.
Story Cards 1 and 2
The first two story cards are very simple requiring only basic counting to solve.
There were 3 dinosaurs eating leafy plants.
There were 2 dinosaurs flying in the sky, then there were 4 more. How many were there all together?
Story Cards 3 and 4
The second two math stories are considered challenge cards and can be solved using addition, subtraction, or even multiplication. My kids love when I tell them we have a “Math Challenge!”
There were 7 dinosaurs in a herd. 4 dinosaurs left the herd. How many were left?
4 dinosaurs went to a birthday party. Each dinosaur brought one friend. How many dinosaurs were at the party?
Simplify
On the back of each card is a image showing the answer (i.e. the number of dinosaurs remaining at the end of the play based scenario). For younger kids matching up the dinosaurs with those shown on the back of the cards can be a great first number awareness and counting exercise.
Math Stories are the perfect way to introduce some initial math into your homeschool day. As a child’s very first word problems, math story cards uniquely fit children’s desire to explore and learn through imaginative and manipulative play. When they finish playing their way through the math story card scenarios provided here, have them invent some of their very own.
Challenge
My kids greatly enjoyed being able to complete the math story cards, but they enjoyed creating their very own story cards even more. They adored telling me a story and having me or a sibling act out the “math problem.” These simple math cards have been an incredibly enjoyable way for me to incorporate a little math and problem solving.
I hope you and your kids enjoy these dinosaur themed math stories!
Remember, Mother Goose Time sends new ones every month with their play-based themed curriculum preschool boxes!
To see more of our posts about Mother Goose Time visit our Mother Goose Time Curriculum page!
Happy playing,
PS The image below is perfect for saving to Pinterest for later!
