When you think math, you might not necessarily think books. Believe it or not, SO many children’s book contain math concepts in them. Whether the book is purposefully structured to teach math skills or not, you can easily turn reading time into math learning time too! Today I am sharing some of my favorite books for early childhood that promote math learning. These books also provide great opportunities for follow up activities related to math (& more!).
How Many Bugs in a Box? by David A. Carter
Features- Pop-up book with cute, silly bug characters!
Skills- Counting, number identification & one-to-one correspondence
Activity Idea- Gather plastic toy bugs, a box or bin, number flashcards or numbers written on index cards and have your child practice counting the bugs one at a time to fill the container to match the corresponding number.
Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews
Features- Bold pictures with simple phrases for reading with young children.
Skills- One-to-one correspondence, number identification, counting
Activity Idea- Re-create the book using dots cut out from construction paper OR paint/draw with black marker to make the corresponding number of dots to a numeral either cut out (draw or print).
*Tip: Use q-tips to paint with black paint as a fun way to make the corresponding number of dots.
The Oreo Cookie Counting Book by Sarah Albee
Features- Unique illustrations with
Skills- One-to-one correspondence, number identification, counting
Activity Idea- well of course my activity idea has to do with Oreos…so this one is bound to be a hit with the kiddos! Use mini Oreos to practice counting along with the pages of the story. You can have your child count out the number of Oreos corresponding to each page on their own OR you can set out the number of Oreos and have them count them. For younger children you can also have them put their Oreos on top of the Oreos in the book (one-to-one correspondence) and you can count aloud for them as they go.
The M & M’s Counting Book by Barbara Barbieri McGrath
Features- simple pictures and text to teach math skills including basic addition and subtraction
Skills- One-to-one correspondence, number identification, counting, color identification, patterning, addition, subtraction, comparing quantities
Activity Idea- another math activity that involves a sweet treat! Use M & M candies to practice counting, one-to-one correspondence (putting the M & M’s one per space in a muffin tin is a great way to practice this), addition & subtraction or making patterns.
Look Whooo’s Counting by Suse MacDonald
Features- this book is a sweet bedtime story about things seen in the night sky.
Skills- One-to-one correspondence, number identification, counting
Activity Idea- I used to make little owls out of toilet paper rolls by indenting the top to create little ears, drawing on eyes, a beak and wings and writing numbers on each one. Your child can practice ordering the toilet paper rolls in ascending or descending order.
Counting Kisses by Karen Katz
Features- a playful book for the youngest little math learners! A great story to give as a gift to new parents too.
Skills- One-to-one correspondence, number identification, counting
Activity Idea- Give your baby kisses or have them give you kisses to go along with each page from the story (if they are younger you will have to model this for them, but with repetition and hearing you count, they will eventually be able to take part too!).
If you are feeling brave and have an older child, you can also put lipstick on and leave kiss marks on construction paper as you count up to a certain number!
Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh
Features- The clever mice work to escape the snake in this fun, classic story. If you haven’t also checked out Mouse Paint that is another great read that focuses on color identification and recognition.
Skills- One-to-one correspondence, number identification, counting forward & backward
Activity Idea- Print and cut out images or use toy mice/snake to re-enact the story with a jar or bucket!
10 Little Monkeys (any rendition, the Melissa & Doug Poke-a-Dot version is our favorite!)
Features- interactive and engaging book to sing along with! There are so many renditions to this book, but our favorite is the Poke-a-Dot version that allows children to poke each dot to count the monkeys which reinforces the one-to-one correspondence skill!
Skills- One-to-one correspondence, number identification, counting
Activity Idea- Print/cut out monkey clip art and glue onto popsicles sticks to re-enact the story and practice counting monkeys!
Now grab a math book and combine reading and math learning time into one! Your little one will be sure to enjoy it!