What Math Really Looks Like in Pre-K (From a Pre-K Teacher)

Math in the preschool years isn’t about worksheets, memorizing facts, or getting the “right” answer.

It’s about building a strong foundation through simple, hands-on experiences.

In this episode, I break down what math actually looks like in Pre-K and what skills truly matter before kindergarten.

We’ll talk about:

•number recognition and counting (and what’s really expected)

•how children learn through play with games and everyday activities

•patterns, sorting, and sequencing

•early measuring concepts

•and why number sense is one of the most important foundations of all

If you’ve ever wondered whether your child is “on track” in math — or what you should actually be focusing on — this episode will give you clarity and confidence.

If you want to see more of what this looks like I have a free week of my Pre-K Learning Club Subscription available to you! Just click the link below:

https://prekparadise.lpages.co/freeweek

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Hey friend! Welcome to the Pre-K Learning Club podcast. I'm Vee, a former kindergarten and current pre-K teacher with nearly 20 years in the classroom, and I'm here to help you teach your preschooler at home without the overwhelm. Think simple activities, real life learning, and lots of encouragement. I'm so glad you're here. Hello and welcome to the podcast. I want to give you an inside peek at what math really looks like in pre-K from me a pre-K teacher. I know that can be a little confusing, math in the preschool years, and a lot of times when we think about math, we think about worksheets, addition, subtraction, getting the right answer. But math in pre-K looks very different. It's not really about mastery, but it's about introducing concepts and building strong foundational skills and giving children lots of opportunities to explore these in simple hands-on ways. So today I want to walk you through what math actually looks like in pre-K and what skills to help prepare your child for kindergarten. So one of the first things we focus on obviously is numbers. Children begin by learning what numbers look like and how to recognize them. By the end of pre-K, I like to see children be solid with numbers one through 10. And by solid I mean really understand them. We do in our class, we do introduce numbers all the way to 20, but a lot of times numbers 12 through 20 can be tricky for many children. So if your child can recognize numbers one through 10, count objects one through 10, and even attempt to write those numbers, they are in a really strong place going into kindergarten. Even writing numbers backwards at this age is completely normal. Don't worry about that. Now, counting doesn't have to be formal. In fact, some of the best counting practice comes through games. Simple games like Candyland or Shoots and Ladders are popular preschool games for a reason. Children are naturally practicing counting as they move along the board. You don't need complicated rules like skip a turn or go back spaces. Just simple moving your pieces around a board, just counting. That's all you need to do. By the end of pre-K, I like to see children be able to count to 20. If they can get to 30, that's even better. But again, strong counting within a smaller number range like 1 through 10 is more important than rushing ahead. Another important concept is patterning. We usually start with patterns like A B patterns. For example, A would be red and B would be blue. Red, blue, red, blue, red, blue. As long as it's repeating. Then we move on to more complex patterns like A B. So that would be red, red, blue, red, red, blue. Or A B B, red, blue, blue, red, blue, blue. And then eventually, by the end of the year, we would add in ABC. So red, blue, yellow, red, blue, yellow. And then at the end of the year, it's good for children to be able to create their own patterns, showing that they understand the idea of something repeating, and they're not just sticking random other colors in their pattern. Another concept that we spend time on is sorting and sequencing, which are really important early math skills. Sorting can be very simple: sorting by color, sorting by size, sorting by shapes, even sorting things like the socks in your home or seasonal clothes. Maybe sorting your child's socks versus your socks, small versus large. These are always children learn to notice similarities and differences. And then there's sequencing, which is putting things in order. So sometimes in the fall, for my kids, we'll do how do we make applesauce? First we wash the apples, then we cut them, then we cook them. Most pre-K children can sequence about three steps, and by the end of the year, sometimes can handle up to five steps. This is something you can easily practice at home through everyday routines like getting dressed or making food. You could do how do we make scrambled eggs, or what steps do we take to brush our teeth? Those are all really great ways to practice sequencing. We also introduce measuring, but in a very simple hands-on way. Instead of rulers, we like to use non-traditional things like I have made little rulers out of hearts, so we'll go around and measure things. How many hearts tall is this? Or how many blocks long is something? It's called non-standard measurement, and children love it. It helps them understand comparison and size in a very concrete way. Now, one of the biggest foundational math skills in pre-K is number sense. This is where children learn that numbers can be broken apart and put back together. For example, the number three can be two and one, or one and two, or three and zero. Later we move to five. What are the ways we can break five apart? Three and two, four and one, or five and zero. We practice this in playful ways, like hiding objects and asking. I started with three. Then I ask them to close their eyes and I put one in my hand and I say, Well, how many are in my hand? This skill can take time, but it builds a very strong foundation for Matt later on. Now, one thing I always remind parents is this in pre-K, we are not expecting mastery. We are introducing ideas, we're giving children exposure, and we are helping them build confidence with numbers and patterns and problem solving. It's like building the very beginning of the foundation on a house. You wouldn't start, you know, putting roof tiles on yet. You want to just build a strong foundation. If your child is recognizing numbers 1 through 10, counting objects, exploring patterns, sorting and sequencing, beginning to understand number relationships, they are exactly where they need to be to start kindergarten. Math in the preschool year should feel playful, hands-on, and connected to real life. It doesn't need to feel complicated. Those early experiences are what help children feel confident and capable when they move into kindergarten. Now, if you feel confused about how to achieve this, you can check out the Pre-K Learning Club, which is a monthly subscription where I go through all of these skills in a school year, and you can start anytime. And every week you get a set of lesson plans and a set of skills to practice. And it's a monthly, it's a monthly system. So every month you get three weeks worth of work and one week work where I have extension items, or you can catch up if you were busy, or you know, just to give you a little bit of breathing room. But it it works in a systematic way to address all of these kinds of skills that your child needs to at least be exposed to in the pre-K years. So if you want more information about that, I will put the link in the show notes for you. But I hope this has been helpful. I hope this has explained a bit to you about what math looks like in the pre-K year. And hopefully, I gave you some ideas of things you can try at home. Until next time. Thanks so much for listening. If this episode was helpful, be sure to follow the podcast so you don't miss a thing. Until next time, you're doing a great job.