Purposeful Preschool Math Lesson Plans

With the right math lesson plans for preschoolers, combined with effective and efficient preschool math activities, learning math is playful and hands-on. The activities included in your lesson plans should build foundational skills in early math while teaching cognitive skills like critical thinking, problem solving, and logical reasoning.

Wondering how to make all of that happen? No problem! Keep reading to learn how to create effective preschool math lesson plans filled with purposeful and interactive activities that align with key early learning goals.

Give your preschoolers a head start in math! With hands-on, engaging preschool math activities, you can make math fun while building essential skills like critical thinking and problem-solving.

The right activities help preschoolers develop confidence and a love for learning while hitting important early math milestones. By keeping things purposeful and hands-on, you can set help your preschoolers fall in love with math in a natural and playful way. Let’s break it down and see what makes effective (and also fun) preschool math lesson plans.

Read this: Fun & Effective Preschool Math Lesson Plans.

What Are Math Content Standards in Preschool?

Content standards outline the “what” of preschool math-specific skills and knowledge that young learners need to master.

Following content standards helps children reach important milestones while keeping learning purposeful and organized. It gives parents and teachers a clear plan for effective math instruction. We outline this in our post about math topics for preschoolers. It gives parents and teachers a clear plan for effective math instruction.

Examples of Preschool Math Content Standards

Preschool math concept standards are centered in five disciplines of math, which are as follows:

• Number Sense:
  • Learning to recognize, count, and write numbers up to 10. These skills enable children to connect numbers with real-world situations like basic problem-solving and understanding quantities.
    • Check out our guide on How to Teach Number Sense in Preschool.
    • See our Preschool Counting Lesson Plans in action!
• Geometry:
  • Identifying and describing basic shapes like circles, squares, and triangles. The geometry domain also includes spatial awareness skills.
    • Check out our guide on How to Shapes in Preschool.
    • See our Preschool Shapes Lesson Plans in action!
• Measurement:
  • Comparing and ordering objects by length, height, or weight. Engaging in measurement activities allows preschoolers to understand concepts such as what object is bigger, taller, smaller, or shorter which also contributes to mathematical concepts.
    • Check out our guide on How to Teach Measurement in Preschool.
    • See our Preschool Measurement Lesson Plans in action!
• Algebra:
  • Recognizing and creating simple patterns like ABAB sequences. This helps children to develop predictive reasoning or the ability to anticipate what comes next in a sequence. Also, patterns encourage children to make connections between different objects and concepts.
  • The algebraic math discipline also includes sorting and comparing to find similarities and differences, as well as positional phrases.
    • Check out our guide on How to Teach Patterns in Preschool and How to Teach Sorting in Preschool.
    • See our Preschool Patterning Lesson Plans in action, as well as our Comparing and Sorting Preschool Lesson Plans!
• Data Analysis:
  • Sorting objects by categorizing and creating simple visual representations. It helps to categorize objects based on their characteristics like color, size, or shape. Graphing and sorting not only make learning easier but also nurture a positive foundation in knowing mathematical concepts.
    • Check out our guide on How to Teach Graphing in Preschool.
    • See our Preschool Graphing Lesson Plans in action!

Examples of What Content Standards Look in a Preschool Math Lesson Plan

Content standards provide the framework for teaching math to preschoolers. Here’s how these standards translate into daily activities:

• Daily Routine: Math is everywhere. Make math meaningful by connecting it to everyday experiences. Incorporate simple math tasks into the morning routine, like counting the days on a calendar or tallying the attendance. 
• Directed Instructions: Dedicate time to teach specific concepts like number recognition, shape identification, or comparing sizes through hands-on activities.
• Math Centers: Design stations for activities such as building patterns with blocks, sorting objects by color or size, or exploring shapes through puzzles. There should be specific learning places for them to engage themselves in different math objects like blocks, shapes, and number figures.

Read this: Preschool Math Printables.

What Are Math Process Standards in Preschool?

Process standards guide how children explore and engage with math. These standards emphasize the methods of learning, ensuring preschoolers develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. For instance, they encourage children to communicate their thought processes, reason through problems, and use representations like drawings or objects to explain their ideas. 

Process standards bridge the gap between knowing “what” to learn and understanding “how” to apply it in everyday contexts. They ensure preschoolers actively engage with math activities.

Preschool Math Process Standards

Process standards enhance math learning by focusing on developing reasoning, communication, and problem-solving abilities. Here’s how each component comes to life:

• Problem Solving: Engaging in hands-on activities to explore solutions. You may use real-world objects that may be seen in everyday life as examples. The more they feel or manipulate, the more they learn independently.
  • Example: Using manipulatives to solve “We have five apples, but three are missing – how can we figure out how many we have left”.
• Reasoning and Proof: Our preschoolers explain their thinking on how they solve a problem. Try to explore what’s on their mind by asking different problem-solving questions. This will help them to explain their thinking and prove their learning.
  • Example: Asking students to share how they figured out which number comes next or how like “Why did you choose this shape to complete the puzzle?”
• Communication: Math language is incorporated, allowing our preschoolers to describe their actions or solutions.
• Representation: Preschoolers use objects, drawings, or other tools to express math concepts. Children are known to be creative so use their imagination to express their knowledge about math concepts. Make them create colorful drawings, use clay to create shapes, or use other objects.

How Process Standards Look in a Preschool Math Lesson Plan

Alright, so we know the math process standards, let’s now see how the process standards look in preschool math lesson plans. Implementing process standards into lesson plans transforms learning into an engaging experience.

Here are practical ways to include these skills: 

• Interactive Lessons: Host group discussions where children are encouraged to reason through answers or solve puzzles together. As a teacher, you can ask tough questions that make preschoolers wonder even more.
• Math Talks: Use open-ended questions like, “How did you figure that out?” to let our preschoolers share their problem-solving process.
• Creative Expression: Allow children to represent math ideas through drawings, playdough models, or physical movement (for example, hopping to count numbers).

The Importance of Systematic and Explicit Math Instruction

A structured and explicit teaching approach clearly defines the steps and processes necessary for solving math problems. This will ensure that our children understand not only how to perform tasks but also why they are doing so. 

Here’s why it matters:

• Clarity and Focus: Teaching step-by-step eliminates confusion and helps preschoolers grasp new concepts with confidence.
• Logical Progression:  Start with simple ideas like counting and gradually move to more complex tasks, such as sorting or patterning.
• Explicit Guidance: Clearly explain each activity. For example, when teaching measurement, demonstrate how to compare the heights of two objects.
• Reinforcement: Regularly revisit previous lessons to strengthen understanding and fill any gaps.

For more on this, read this article: Principles for Designing Intervention in Mathematics.

Sample Preschool Math Activities Aligned with Standards

The best way to understand how to incorporate all of the above into writing preschool math lesson plans is perhaps to see some lesson plans that do all of that, and then teach it for a week!

Grab a free sample of our preschool math curriculum to see how to do it all!

FAQs About Preschool Math Lesson Plans and Activities

Preschool math lesson plans aligned with content and process standards create meaningful experiences for young children. By combining these techniques and instructions with engaging activities, educators or parents can help preschoolers build confidence and enthusiasm for math.

Ready to create math magic in your preschoolers? Visit Stay at Home Educator to explore our expertly crafted resources and lesson plans to make learning math fun and effective!

Sarah Punkoney, MAT

I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.

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