
If children always count one by one, they sometimes become less proficient at subitizing.ĭot Card Games: Materials and Teacher Tipsĭot card sets are available to print at Sets are 2½ x 2½ and 5 x 5 inches. When children subitize and immediately “know” five dots, you might ask, “How did you see five dots so quickly? Did you group them?” Children do not need to count one by one for every card. encourage subitizing!Įncourage children to quickly “see” how many dots are on the cards-particularly for cards with three or fewer dots.
NUMBERS HELP ME COUNT SONG HOW TO
Check the teacher tips to learn how to challenge players as their math ability grows. (See “Dot Card Games: Materials and Teacher Tips.”) Create dot card decks and gather the other materials. Now it’s time to play! Let’s start with dot card games. Observe children as they play, and use the information in the “Things to notice as children play” sections of each game to learn more about the mathematics supported while children play these games. Here are some math games for children to enjoy using dot cards and fingers. Finger games can be played anytime, anywhere, since your fingers are always with you! When children use their fingers to count, they are strengthening their number knowledge and their ability to visualize numbers in their minds. We often ask children to count a line of objects, but circular and scattered arrangements are harder to count one by one! These games support children’s ability to subitize-that is, to immediately see how many without counting, a key factor relating to young children’s math ability.įinger games promote children’s understanding of early math concepts, from counting to composing and decomposing number (the foundation of addition and subtraction). They use cards that have one to 10 black dots arranged in different configurations-linear (straight line), rectangular, dice pattern, circular, and scattered configurations.Ī variety of dot arrangements help children develop different mental images of quantities.
NUMBERS HELP ME COUNT SONG SERIES
This is the first article in a series about math games and how they support preschooler math readiness.ĭot card games are simple and can be played again and again. When we watch and listen to how children play math games, we learn a lot about the mathematics they already know and what they’re ready to learn. Math games also support children’s mathematical habits of mind-and key school readiness skills, such as problem solving, puzzling, and perseverance. Playing math games with children can be a fun, developmentally appropriate way to spark understanding of big mathematical ideas.
