Activities for Whole Group Math Instruction
A good thing to remember when teaching preschoolers in a large group is to keep it short and keep it simple. Preschoolers can have varied attention spans, and most will only be able to focus in a large group situation for a short amount of time. Try some of these easy ideas for making the most of your whole group math instruction.
Calendar Math: Begin each morning circle time with simple calendar math. Point to the correct date on the calendar and ask children to tell you the number of the date. This will help young preschoolers begin to distinguish written numbers. Count, out loud and as a group, how many days are left in the month. You could also count how many days of the month you have already experienced. This may be a good time to introduce important math phrases such as "how many are left" and "in all" and "total". While children probably will not understand addition and subtraction quite yet, it is important to get the class used to hearing these mathematical phrases.
Graphing: During a sign-in activity, allow children to cast votes for a particular reason. For example, ask children if they would like apples or bananas for a snack. Each child will cast a vote for either an apple or a banana. Have each child place a slip of paper in a cup, one labeled banana, one labeled apple. Bring the cups to your morning circle, and count the votes out loud with your class. Using a large sheet of paper or poster board, draw a simple bar graph showing how many children voted for bananas, and how many children voted for apples. Show the children which fruit had fewer votes, and which fruit received more votes. Be sure to use the phrases "less than", "more than" and "equal to" when discussing the votes. You may also choose to create a pictograph showing how many boys and girls are in the class, hair color, eye color or any number of different traits. Be sure to count the votes out loud, together as a class.
Question and Answer: For a simple whole group activity that will get the whole class counting and moving, try a game of "Questions and Answers." Have all children line up on one side of the classroom. Ask a simple question, such as "Who is wearing white shoes today?" All of the children wearing white shoes will cross to the other side of the classroom. Ask the children to count how many children have white shoes, and how many children do not have white shoes. All of the children will then return to one side of the classroom while you prepare the next question. Be sure to ask questions after you count the number of students who have crossed the room. For example, ask the children "Are there more children with white shoes, or more children without white shoes?" This will help children begin to make comparisons, as well as introduce them to the concepts of more than and less than.