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Home / Early Learning / Math / Math Activities for Preschoolers: One-to-One Correspondence

Math Activities for Preschoolers: One-to-One Correspondence

Shared by Mary Catherine 23 Comments

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.

5 math activities for preschoolers that teach 1:1 correspondence from www.fun-a-day.com

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!

5 math activities for preschoolers to learn 1:1 correspondence from www.fun-a-day.com

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.

Math Activities for Preschoolers --

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.

Math Activities for Preschoolers from www.fun-a-day.com -- Using number rocks and rainbow rocks to teach children 1:1 correspondence in a fun way

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.

Math Activities for Preschoolers from www.fun-a-day.com -- Using small erasers to teach children 1:1 correspondence and fine motor skills

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).

Math Activities for Preschoolers from www.fun-a-day.com -- Sorting bear manipulatives to teach children 1:1 correspondence

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.

Math Activities for Preschoolers: One-to-One Correspondence from www.fun-a-day.com

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!

Done-for-You Preschool Resources

Planning meaningful lessons for students week after week while balancing other teaching responsibilities and a personal life can be a daunting task. That’s where Preschool Teacher 101 comes in to save you time!

Preschool Teacher 101 has created some amazing preschool lesson and activity plans perfect for any preschool classroom. Click on the images below to learn more about our activity pack all about counting to ten!

Counting 0 to 10 4-in-1 activity pack preschool resource cover.
Counting 0 to 10 Activity Pack

Join The Pack from Preschool Teacher 101 today for exclusive access to our amazing products. And we even have three different membership options to suit your needs!

Filed Under: Math Tagged With: Counting

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  1. Stephanie @ Twodaloo says

    September 6, 2013 at 11:02 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      September 8, 2013 at 3:26 pm

      Thanks Stephanie! It really is worth the read, especially when your kiddos approach kindergarten age! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Karyn says

    September 6, 2013 at 11:56 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      November 29, 2013 at 10:28 am

      Thanks, Karyn! Let me know how the activities go over with your students when you try them. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Brenna says

    September 7, 2013 at 12:10 pm

    These math activities are great. Thank you for sharing. We did something like these activities during our Gingerbread theme week.

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      November 29, 2013 at 10:29 am

      Thanks, Brenna! Oh, I LOVE a gingerbread theme! What fun ideas. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Jessica @ Play Trains! says

    September 8, 2013 at 4:15 am

    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!

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      September 8, 2013 at 3:29 pm

      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!!

      Reply
  5. chelsey @buggyandbuddy says

    September 8, 2013 at 8:35 pm

    Love all these activities! So perfect for what we’re working on now at home!

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      November 29, 2013 at 10:29 am

      Thanks, Chelsey! So many simple ways to teach such an important concept!

      Reply
  6. Rachael @ Nothing if Not Intentional says

    September 8, 2013 at 8:36 pm

    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! 🙂

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      November 29, 2013 at 10:30 am

      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.

      Reply
  7. Naomi says

    September 12, 2013 at 7:02 am

    Where do you find the plastic tweezers? I have found other kid projects with them but didn’t know where to buy them?

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      September 12, 2013 at 5:09 pm

      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!

      Reply
  8. Vanessa @Pre-K Pages says

    September 17, 2013 at 9:06 am

    Love your color rocks! Isn’t Deborah awesome? I want to be like her when I grow up 🙂

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      November 29, 2013 at 10:31 am

      Thanks, Vanessa!! 🙂 Yes, Deborah is awesome — you and she share sooooo many wonderful ideas with us!

      Reply
  9. Ann @My Nearest and Dearest says

    September 22, 2013 at 9:50 pm

    Great ideas! I’m always inspired by the learning activities you share and refer back to them often when planning our own. 🙂

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      November 29, 2013 at 10:32 am

      Ann, that is just the best compliment for me — I love sharing learning ideas with others!!! 🙂

      Reply
  10. andrea cespedes says

    November 18, 2013 at 7:42 pm

    Muy buenas tus ideas, lo mejor, todo se puede hacer con material natural, con cosas que contamos en el ambiente. Mil gracias.

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      November 29, 2013 at 10:32 am

      Muchas gracias, Andrea!!! 🙂

      Reply
  11. Jacquie@KCEdventures says

    February 19, 2014 at 4:25 pm

    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!

    Reply
  12. Lisa says

    June 9, 2014 at 3:33 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Mary Catherine says

      June 11, 2014 at 9:38 am

      Thanks for that idea, Lisa! I love how it combines shape matching, 1-to-1, and life skills! 🙂

      Reply
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My name is Mary Catherine, and I love to share meaningful {and fun} learning activities for kiddos! Feel free to browse and stay awhile!

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