Do your kiddos like bugs? Right now my daughter is not a fan of ants. Every time a storm hits our house, those little critters always find a safe home in my kids’ bathroom. Always.
Let me tell you, it is no fun having to kill ants while the kids brush their teeth. And while my daughter is still not of fan of ants, she is always up for counting the ants in our bathroom. As much as I would like to say it is to practice her developing math skills, it is definitely to make sure I don’t leave any ant un-squished.
Real-Life Math
One of the standards we focus on in our math instruction is to teach our learners how math can be used daily. Sure, we all left algebra asking ourselves when we would possibly use these formulas. But many of the math skills taught in our early childhood classroom are used daily.
Whether we are counting ants, trying to fit items in a box or totaling up the coins in dad’s jeans…math is used everyday.
Mini-lessons
I try to introduce every math unit with a real-life problem that was solved by math. In my
Sorting by Attributes pack, we sort socks that are cluttering up my laundry room. We count each day during calendar to find out how many days we have been in school. Rather than presenting our learners with worksheets, we need to make sure they are introduced to concrete examples of these math skills.
Creative Counting
You don’t have to search far and wide for a real-life examples of math to illustrate concepts with our learners. When you are planning out your lesson, think to a time when the skill you are teaching was relevant to you.
For example, we are always reviewing counting in our classroom since it is a skill that is developed over time. You better believe that I told my learners the story of my daughter counting ants in our bathroom.
To make it more engaging, I busted out ant cut-outs, placed a handful on the carpet and told them to count to find out how many ants we saw the last time it rained. Not only are my learners counting, but they are excited and curious to find out this information.
Counting Math Games
I always try to have a counting center in our math tubs so my learners can get continued practice. This ant center is extra fun for my learners because they are not just counting ants. They are helping my daughter make sure all our little bathroom friends get squished!
You can download this math game by clicking the MJCS download image at the bottom of this post.
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:
Ladybug Life Cycle Wheel // The STEM Laboratory
Bug Puzzles (Beginning Sounds) // Fairy Poppins
Bug Subtraction Cards // The Kindergarten Connection
Ladybug Editable Sight Word Puzzles // A Dab of Glue Will Do
Printable Ladybug Letter Puzzles and Sensory Bin // Fun-A-Day
Simple Outdoor Ant Experiment // Science Kiddo
Ladybug One More One Less Activity // Fantastic Fun and Learning
Bug Jar Addition and Subtraction Mats // Fun Learning for Kids
Counting Ants Math Game // Mrs. Jones’ Creation Station
Insect Theme Prewriting Practice // Stay at Home Educator
I Spy Bugs Sensory Bin // Teach Me Mommy
Insect Printable Sorting Worksheet // Fun with Mama
Bug Counting Clip Cards // Playdough to Plato
Ladybug Counting Cards 1-20 // Powerful Mothering
Butterfly Life Cycle Mini Book Freebie // The Primary Post
Homemade Butterfly Playdough Kit // Sugar Spice and Glitter
CVC Bug Matching Game // Sweet Sounds of Kindergarten
Bug Story Problems // Recipe for Teaching
Bugs: How Many Syllables? // Liz’s Early Learning Spot
Bug Theme Bingo Cards // Schooling a Monkey
Ten Frame Game More and Less // Sara J Creations
Buggy Partner Cards // Simplified Classroom