Stories are an enjoyable and effective way to explore mathematical ideas with children.
When you read books together, take time to explore and talk about mathematical ideas. It will help your children see and understand the math that happens all around them every day.
Children’s Books:
- Encourage children to re-create stories in their own way, as well as to practice math skills
- Provide a meaningful context to explore mathematical ideas
- Suggest problems that can be solved using different strategies
- Develop math concepts such as following directions, finding shapes in the environment and ideas about greater than and less than
- Encourage the use of math language such as How many? How far? How much?
- Help make sense of the world
When Reading Together:
- When reading, talk together. Ask questions that need more than a yes or no answer
- Introduce related math ideas
- Don’t be afraid to use math vocabulary
- Give children a chance to explain their thinking
Story Books:
- Talk about the page numbers. What comes next? What number is the last page?
- Talk about the pictures and what is happening in the story. Did something change? Why?
- Talk about patterns in the story. Notice rhyming word patterns too
- Notice the sequence of events: “What happened first? What happens next? What happened first? Second?
- Wonder aloud about more than, less than and equal to
- Count items on a page
Counting Books:
There are a number of good counting books that are enjoyable for both children and adults, and help to develop early numeracy and literacy skills. Books that count 0 to 5 or 0 to 10 are best for preschoolers.
Look for books that contain:
- Engaging and colorful pictures
- Easy to count items
- Numerals that are easy to identify and are printed clearly
Things to Do with Counting Books:
- Count the objects together
- How many do you think will be on the next page?
- How many would there be if there was one more? How many if there was one less?
- Have your child place out a toy or other item for each number you read
- If your child is familiar with the story, have them tell you what comes next
Some Good Books
| Title | Author |
| Tall | Jez Alborough |
| Ship Shapes | Stella Blackstone |
| Big Sarah’s Little Boots | Paulette Bourgeois |
| The Greedy Triangle | Marilyn Burns |
| 1,2,3, to the Zoo | Eric Carle |
| The Hungry Caterpillar | Eric Carle |
| Pumpkin Soup | Helen Cooper |
| Freight Train | Donald Crews |
| Carry Me, Mama | Monica Devine |
| I Am Small | Emma Dodd |
| Ten Little Caterpillars | Lois Ehlert |
| Color Zoo | Lois Ehlert |
| Round like a Ball | Lisa Campbell Ernst |
| Turtle Splash | Cathryn Falwell |
| Two Shoes, Blue Shoes, New Shoes | Sally Fitz-Gibbon |
| My Sister Ate One Hare | Bill Grossman |
| Lots of Dots | Craig Frazier |
| A Second is a Hiccup | Hazel Hutchins |
| The Doorbell Rang | Pat Hutchins |
| Stuck | Oliver Jeffers |
| Five Creatures | Emily Jenkins |
| Actual Size | Steve Jenkins |
| Mama, Do You Love me? | Barbara Joosse |
| The Wheels on the Bus | Maryann Kovalski |
| We All Went on Safari | Laurie Krebs |
| Who Took the Cookies from the Cookie Jar? | Bonnie Las |
| Inch by Inch | Leo Lionni |
| Ten Cats Have Hats | Jean Marzello |
| I Spy book series | Jean Marzello |
| Lessons from Mother Earth | Elaine McLeod |
| Quack, Quack, Moo We See You! | Kelly Mij |
If you would like to learn more about integrating math concepts into children’s daily routines, please visit the Centre for Family Literacy website to find out about our programs and training.