Check out this great list of math activities for preschoolers. It’s full of easy math activities that teach one-to-one correspondence. An added bonus? They’re all lots of fun for the kids!
As a preschool teacher, I have a few must-read sites for inspiration. Teach Preschool is one of them and has been since before I began Fun-A-Day! Deborah J. Stewart is the force behind Teach Preschool, where she shares meaningful, age-appropriate preschool activities. When I heard she had a book coming out about getting ready for kindergarten, I was so excited to read it! The excitement increased exponentially when I learned she was inviting bloggers to participate in a book study of “Ready for Kindergarten!” For my part in the book study, I chose to focus on math activities for preschoolers that teach 1:1 correspondence.
Please note that Deborah J. Stewart gave me a free copy of her book “Ready for Kindergarten!” in exchange for my review. As is always the case, all opinions are my own.
Before I delve into those math activities, let me tell you about “Ready for Kindergarten!” I found Deborah’s book to be well laid-out, easy to read, and chock full of helpful tips about preparing children for elementary school. Deborah focuses on meaningful, play-based ideas for readying children for kindergarten. If you follow Fun-A-Day!, you know I have definite opinions about kindergarten readiness! I found that Deborah’s book thoroughly explained every aspect of what a child needs to work on to be ready. All while playing and participating in age-appropriate activities!
As I stated above, I chose to focus on one-to-one correspondence as part of Deborah’s “Ready for Kindergarten!” book study. It is important for young children to master 1:1 correspondence, so it’s a skill we work on quite a bit in preschool! It boils down to matching one item to one corresponding item.
“The term has more complicated meanings, but for helping your child prepare for kindergarten, we’ll focus on your child’s ability to match objects with numbers or numbers of objects.” {Deborah J. Stewart, Ready for Kindergarten!}
There are so many ways to let kiddos learn and explore this concept! Below are just a few math activities for preschoolers that I’ve recently used for one-on-one correspondence practice. I may get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
Put the Apples on the Tree
My preschool students always seem to enjoy games involving dice, so this is right up their alley! The game can be played by one children or multiple kiddos. Includes a free printable of the apple play mat.
Number and Color Rocks
Using number rocks and rainbow rocks, children can add a different sensory aspect to 1:1 correspondence practice. The students can match the numeral rocks to the quantity rocks, and they can also count out rainbow rocks to match.
Tiny Eraser Math
Have children use small erasers for one-to-one correspondence activities. They can place one eraser into each compartment of an ice cube tray. The erasers can also be used to count out and match to numbers.
Bear Patterns
Children can use bear counters (or and other fun counters) to make patterns. Place colorful stickers on a strip of paper, preferably in a pattern. The one-to-one comes into play when they match the appropriate bear counter to the correct color. Placing the bears into 10-frames is another idea. Creating a bear pattern, then inviting the children to match that pattern, helps establish 1:1 (in addition to patterning and color recognition).
Spring Flower Math Game
Like I said, my preschoolers love any and all dice games! Child rolls a die, then “plants” the correct number of flowers into the play dough.
I hope you and your kiddos enjoy trying out some of these ideas! Do you have any fun math activities for preschoolers (or other ages) to practice one-to-one correspondence? I’d love to hear about them!
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Great post as usual, Mary Catherine! I’ll definitely be investing in this book as my kiddos get older and (gulp) closer to school-age!
Thanks Stephanie! It really is worth the read, especially when your kiddos approach kindergarten age! 🙂
Love these ideas! I teach prep (first year at school) and these activities will be perfect for my kiddies at the start of the year. Great practical activities which will keep them engaged – thanks!
Thanks, Karyn! Let me know how the activities go over with your students when you try them. 🙂
These math activities are great. Thank you for sharing. We did something like these activities during our Gingerbread theme week.
Thanks, Brenna! Oh, I LOVE a gingerbread theme! What fun ideas. 🙂
I’m really looking forward to reading this book, especially now that I’ve read your opinion on it! These are great activities, and I can see my son really enjoying them. Thank you!
Thanks Jessica! The kiddos really seem to enjoy the math games, and it’s been requested that we play “that apple game” again next week. 🙂 And Deborah’s “Ready for Kindergarten!” is a wonderful resource!!
Love all these activities! So perfect for what we’re working on now at home!
Thanks, Chelsey! So many simple ways to teach such an important concept!
My teacher friends are always telling me about how important one-to-one correspondence is for our preschoolers. Love these ideas and can’t wait to share them with my co-op! 🙂
Thanks, Rachael! One-to-one is super important, so I agree with your teacher friends. 🙂 Let me know how it goes when you share the ideas with your co-op.
Where do you find the plastic tweezers? I have found other kid projects with them but didn’t know where to buy them?
Hey Naomi! I love these tweezers and have had them for years! Click here for a link to grab them via Amazon. I think that local teacher stores often carry them as well!
Love your color rocks! Isn’t Deborah awesome? I want to be like her when I grow up 🙂
Thanks, Vanessa!! 🙂 Yes, Deborah is awesome — you and she share sooooo many wonderful ideas with us!
Great ideas! I’m always inspired by the learning activities you share and refer back to them often when planning our own. 🙂
Ann, that is just the best compliment for me — I love sharing learning ideas with others!!! 🙂
Muy buenas tus ideas, lo mejor, todo se puede hacer con material natural, con cosas que contamos en el ambiente. Mil gracias.
Muchas gracias, Andrea!!! 🙂
LOVE those number & rainbow rocks! They are part of our feature this week for Discover & Explore 🙂 I so enjoy the activities you share with us each week – thanks so much!
When we were starting work on 1-1 correspondence in our 3K room, we used table settings and placemats to help the concept. Each placemat was simply made with a tracing of the necessary settings (plate, fork, spoon, cup) Then each student was required to set their places at the table with what was needed. It was a way to introduce the concept!
Thanks for that idea, Lisa! I love how it combines shape matching, 1-to-1, and life skills! 🙂