Blocks And 3d Puzzles

It is a well known fact that children who have learned basic math skills do better when they enter school.  Here is one “game” to play with your toddler to give him/her a head start with his math skills.

Using toy blocks you can teach this simple lesson of kindergarten and preschool math measurement. Before you begin with the lessons, however, allow your children to just play with their cardboard building blocks without any rules. Creative play comes easy and you will enjoy watching your child make up his own activities when he is given building block toys.

Then, in a couple of weeks after your child has had a chance to explore the materials, he will be ready to use them in the structured activity that you will introduce to him. Remember that preschool learning toys for children are most often just open ended toys such as toy blocks that are just fun to play with; they do not need to know that they are really educational learning toys.

It’s lesson time!  Get out a hard covered book and three medium blue blocks sized 6 x 3 x 3.  Now, line the toy blocks up against the book and pointing to each one separately count them 1 – 2 – 3.

Tell your child that your book is 3 blocks long. Repeat this visual activity of counting a couple of times.  Point out to your child where the first block is starting and where your last block ended; do not worry that your blocks are not the same exact length of the book. You could add a fourth block either now or in a week or so.

During your demonstration talk to your child about why you need to use identical blocks.  Have your toddler choose a book for himself and have him select identical blocks from his set of blocks and have him try to measure his book.