Kids Who Learn to Love Math Play This Game

As an advocate of learning through play, I recently interviewed a 5-year-old on the structure of her kindergarten class.

Do you get to play a lot, or do you work most of the time?

Oh, we only got to play in 4-K . In kindergarten, all we do is work. I HATE math!!

Huh! I've heard the same description of pre-K and kindergarten activities so many times within the last few years from teachers and parents. Now I'm hearing it from a child. Kindergarten has officially become developmentally inappropriate for 5-year-olds.

It makes me angry to know what I know about educational research in early childhood and to see what's happening in the real world today. There is a significant gap between research on early brain development and current child care and kindergarten practices.

This is not acceptable. Children's brains are pre-programmed to learn through play, and depriving them of this experience deprives them of countless learning opportunities.

End of Lecture, now to the fun part.

I've used the game Hungry, Hungry Hippos to teach math to 3 and 4-year-olds for over 20+ years. They love it so much!

I stumbled on this method by accident while trying to impose rules around a game they loved. For the sake of safety, I needed complete control of the marbles. Losing your marbles in a family child care setting is a big no-no due to potential choking hazards.

For this reason, I don't let children under 3 play the game, and that makes it even more interesting and desirable to the 3-4 year olds.

I keep the game on a high shelf and only take it down when I have the time to supervise closely, at first, and gradually step away a bit when they prove to be responsible enough to keep good track of the marbles.

The game is loud, so we have to limit playing time to when everyone is awake and no babies are napping. These two restrictions, combined with the fun and excitement during play, make it a frequent request.

I keep it a secret that they're learning counting, comparison, addition, subtraction, and division when they play.

Here's how I make it happen:

one

I choose 2 or 3 children and play the game with them until they can handle it independently. I start by giving each child three marbles and teaching them to put them in their own marble poppers.

two

I have them practice waiting until I say "go!' to start popping out their marbles. (impulse control)

three

I teach them to pop out all of their marbles before they start chomping. Then I say "Eat!"

four

After all of the marbles are eaten, I ask them to count how many they have. I don't talk about winning and losing, but rather how many they have each, and sometimes we discuss the concept of more or less.

five

Then I help them divide up the marbles so that each of them has three again.

six

Repeat.

seven

After playing with them for as long as it takes, I allow them to play a round without me. (Problem Solving)

It helps to have at least one 4-year-old or a 5-year-old for this step, so you can leave it out if they're not ready.

tip

Putting a towel on the table or playing on a carpet will help to keep the marbles from rolling away. You can also add more marbles, up to five, as they get better at the math.

As an enhancement to this kind of counting and sharing, you can read The Really, Really, Really Big Dinosaur by Richard Byrne. It's an adorable story about a social problem that incorporates counting, division, and sharing, with a humorous twist at the end.

Like blueberries? Give a group of two young children an even number of blueberries. Give one child the job of splitting up the berries evenly, and the other the job of choosing first. Then have them switch roles.

Could you use more of the exact words to say about common childhood issues like cleaning up, tattling, or hitting? Click on the link to your issue and see what we offer.

Early Childhood Rocks is a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the world through early childhood education.

Nanci J Bradley is an early childhood and family educator, author, teacher, family aerobics instructor, and an all-around fun-loving person. She believes in the power of sleep, healthy eating, lifelong learning, and most of all, PLAY!  (click on the word) She studied early childhood ed at Triton College and received her BS in education in 1986 from NIU. She received her MA in human development from Pacific Oaks College in 2011. She lives and teaches in Madison WI.