“One, two, three, flip!” 

“I win!” shouts Matif.

Remember playing War as a child? It’s simple and fun and it teaches young children how to win and lose without a lot of drama.

I love playing cards with young children because that little deck helps foster the development of early math and social-emotional skills in a big way.

When I play War with very young children, I often pull out the face cards and any card higher than a six. Depending on the ages and developmental levels of my students, I may even pull out the aces because it’s too difficult for young children to associate the letter “A” with the number “1.”

Start by dealing the cards evenly between all of the players, stacking the cards face down in front of each child. 

No peeking allowed!  On the count of three, each player will flip the top card over into the center of the table, face up.

“One, two, three, flip!”

A chorus of young voices chants in rhythm as our game continues.

“I have a five,” shouts Mable. “That’s bigger than your two, so I win!” 

Compare the cards played. The highest card wins the hand. The winner takes all of the cards played in the round and adds them to a new stack of “won” cards. 

One, two, three, flip!”

“Ah, you both have a six! War!”

When there’s a tie between the two highest players, you have a “duel.”

To play a duel, the two players each place three cards in the middle of the table, face down. Then they each lay down another card (the fifth card for this round). This card should be facing up. The highest card wins, and the winner takes all of the cards from this round and adds them to a new stack.

“One, two, three, flip!”

I watch as a four and a three get turned over by the players in the duel.

“Ah, you won all those cards!” says the child with the losing hand. “Lucky you!” 

When children are playing cards, this is a great time to observe their number sense. Can they identify the numbers by name? Can they determine which number is higher? Can they follow the rules?  When the cards match, can they count out the three additional cards that they will need for a duel?  

Play until your main stack is gone and then count up how many cards the players have in their stacks of “won” cards. The player with the most cards wins. Once the children have mastered the cards through the number six, I will add the sevens and eights back into the deck. Later, I will add in the nines and the tens.

Many children will be able to play a full game of War by the time they reach kindergarten—face cards included. Keeping it simple in the beginning is a great way to assess your students’ number recognition skills and value development.

As children play this deceptively simple game, they are developing their number-recognition skills and beginning to grasp concepts such as number value, greater than and less than.

They are also learning important life skills such as how to follow rules, take turns and take their turns quickly without making the other players wait too long. That’s a lot of learning for a game that fits in your pocket! 

We also want to teach children how to win and lose graciously. I love playing War because it’s a game of chance and everyone has an equal chance of winning. Because each round has a winner, we are practicing the win/lose concept over and over again in rapid succession. There isn’t time for the winners to jump up and do a victory dance or the losers to break down and get weepy. The same child will not win every round, which gives every child many opportunities to practice good sportsmanship.

There’s a reason that children have enjoyed playing War for generations. It’s fast and fun and a bit addictive. So grab a deck or two, play a few rounds with your early learners and call it your math curriculum for the week. You’ll be teaching invaluable life lessons along with those early math skills!

“I think that wolf should go in this row, with the pigs,” protests five-year-old Harper. 

“What? Why? He’s a wolf, not a pig!” insists Harrison.

“And he’s not pink!” chimes in three-year-old Evelyn. 

“The wolf will go with the pigs in this row for ‘Stories,'” explains Harper. “You know, like in that book, The Three Little Pigs!”

I wander over to see what this deep discussion is all about. Wow! The older preschoolers are lining up and labeling groups of animals from the basket. This is child-led learning at its finest!

“Oh yeah! That makes sense!” Miguel agrees.

But Evelyn seems puzzled by their reasoning. Math skills such as sorting and patterning are developed in a sequential order—and Evelyn’s early math skills are not as developed as those of her older friends.

At all ages, children classify objects intuitively to make sense of the world. Two-week-old infants can already distinguish objects that they suck on from other objects.

By the age of two, toddlers can form sets of similar objects. By preschool, children can sort and categorize objects according to a given attribute.

When children engage in classification, they are sorting objects according to some established criteria. For Harper, it makes sense to classify the wolf with the pigs. It also makes sense to Miguel when Harper explains his reasoning. 

I look at the list that Harper has created. I chuckle at his phonetic spelling as I read the three categories that he has printed across the top of a sheet of green paper: “Jungle, Farm and Stories.”

When learning how to classify objects, children first learn how to identify and name the attributes that the items in a group will have in common. Then they move on to identifying the attributes that will exclude items from a group.

See Harper’s list in the bottom right corner?  It reads, “Not in a group.”

Wow! This is math! This is early literacy! All while playing and having fun!

Remember back in first grade when we were learning about sets and we had to circle the apples, but not the oranges, on our math worksheets? Our morning of animal sorting is a similar exercise, but the children are establishing the rules.

Hands-on play will beat a worksheet any day of the week. What sticks to the hands, sticks to the brain. 

When children sort objects in their environment, they are using their analytical thinking skills, which are the lifeblood of mathematics. When children engage in organizing activities, it helps them make sense of their world.

Sorting allows children to determine where they think an object belongs and why they think it belongs there. Often, objects will be reclassified from one day to the next. The wolf may be classified as a “Story Animal” today and as a “Forest Animal” tomorrow!

A 2015 research study showed that young children were more creative, more interactive and more verbal when they were playing with sets of animal figures than with other toys (Trawick–Smith et al. 2015). These findings were consistent regardless of gender or background.

The takeaway? Every classroom needs a basket of animal figures!

What’s so great about a basket full of plastic animals? It doesn’t come with a rule book!

When children play with toys such as small animals, people or vehicles, they create elaborate make-believe scenarios and engage in rich discussions about those scenarios. Perhaps best of all, they learn to play cooperatively with their friends. 

As educators, we know that children love to play with baskets of plastic animals. Now we have research to prove what we’ve known all along: that open-ended, imaginative play will naturally lead to sorting and classifying—and you’ll be checking off those early math learning standards in no time!

Looking for an Early Math Counts lesson plan that involves sorting and classifying?  Check out Cereal Sorting!

“Go around the tree, through the tunnel, over the rocks, under the parachute and onto the swing. Then throw a beanbag through the hula hoop and run and touch the fence. The first person to do that WINS!”

I listen as five-year-old Juan walks his eager friend through the steps of the obstacle course he has just created.

When people think about early math skills, they often think about numbers—including number recognition and counting. But spatial reasoning is another important aspect of early math learning.

Juan has kicked off our morning of math learning with a burst of spatial vocabulary!

Words like around, through, over, under, above, below, between and beside describe where things or people are in space.

Obstacle courses are a great way for children to learn, hear and use spatial language while developing their spatial skills. Obstacle courses also teach sequencing, memory and following directions. Best of all, kids LOVE them!

When designing your own obstacle course, consider the elements that will make it both fun and challenging. Try out these options:

• Something to jump over or into such as rope, pool noodles, chalk lines or hoops. I often use chalk to draw shapes such as circles, squares, rectangles or triangles just to sneak some more math into our day. As children start to identify shapes, they are building the foundation for geometry.
• Something to climb over. When we’re indoors, we use pillows. When we’re outside, we climb over the picnic table or up the slide. The slide is a feature in many of our obstacle courses.
• Something to weave around and between. We often use cones or buckets, recycled two-liter plastic bottles filled with water or natural landmarks such as trees, bushes and gardens.
• Something to crawl through or under such as tunnels, parachutes or boxes.
• Something that requires a bit of balance or care when navigating such as a curved rope, river rocks or tree stumps.
• Something to run to, such as a fence, a tree or a door.

When older children are here after school, we often use a stopwatch to time how long it takes to complete the course. This exposes our children to data analysis and record keeping.

Some students may want to use their drawing skills to create a map of the obstacle course. Keep clipboards and pencils nearby because this activity catches on quickly!

You can add more math learning opportunities by counting the hoops or cones as children go through or around each one.

You can measure the distance between cones or stones—or simply use spatial language to describe the distance, using words such as closer together or farther apart.

Obstacle courses are also great for developing gross-motor skills. Include activities such as crawling, jumping, skipping and hopping. If your outdoor area has natural slopes and uneven terrain, these areas are perfect for fostering the development of early gross-motor skills.  

We all see the need for self-regulation in young children. Occupational therapists often use movement to support physical and mental regulation and increase a child’s attention span, focus and alertness. That’s reason enough to create a math curriculum that involves an obstacle course!

An obstacle course may look like play, but it’s chock full of learning opportunities. When we take the time to explain how activities like these can support early childhood learning and development, parents and administrators begin to develop a deeper understanding of our early childhood curriculum. 

Ready to take a deeper dive into spatial learning? Check out the Early Math Counts lesson plan Over, Under, Through. After you engage in the activity, click on the Connect With Families button on the left side of the page and customize the letter to send home to the families of the children in your classroom.

Be sure to let us know how your obstacle course turned out and share helpful tips in our Comments section. Have fun!

Do you have collectors in your midst? Those young children who can turn a five-minute walk into a 15-minute treasure hunt? The children who fill their pockets with treasures and then load up your pockets with the overflow?  I love these kids. They can wreak havoc with our daily schedules, but they help us slow down, take a breath, smile and find beauty in unexpected places. They also make me smile when I remind myself that these impromptu, child-led collecting and sorting expeditions are worth their weight in gold as we work with young children to build a strong foundation for later math learning.

We collect lots of natural loose parts like acorns and buckeyes, feathers and rocks. But we also collect colored gems, bottle caps, keys and other odd items. This, my friends, is the rock-solid, hands-on play that lays the foundation for number sense.

At all ages, children classify intuitively to make sense of a world that seems largely out of their control. By the time infants are two weeks old, they can distinguish between objects that they suck on and those they do not. By the age of two, toddlers form sets of similar objects. In preschool, children begin to sort objects into categories according to a given attribute.

If it attracts their attention and they touch it, that’s the moment the child-led learning begins! So grab a bag, a basket or a bucket, take a walk and see what sparks the imagination of the children in your life. A good pocket comes in handy on these expeditions!

Along the way, observe the collecting habits of your budding mathematicians. What captures their attention? What treasures do they deem worthy of pocketing? Does one of the younger treasure hunters in your group need guidance or mentoring?

During your expeditions—and other daily outings—keep your eyes out for heart rocks. It’s a great opportunity to build some early math skills, whether you’re waiting for a table to open up at a restaurant or killing time before an appointment. Hidden in those landscape rocks, there is sure to be a heart rock!

Children will naturally begin to sort their collected treasures into piles or “sets.” Separating will come very naturally as children sort acorns into one pile and bottle caps into another. They may group by colors, shape, texture or weight. They may also organize their objects in a line by size or other attributes.

As they sort the objects that they collect, children are building their analytical thinking skills, which are the lifeblood of mathematics. This is a great opportunity to introduce vocabulary words such as more and less.  Young children have an inborn sense of more and less. They always know if someone has more than they do!  Children can learn number sense simply by playing with their collections!

If the grouping of sets leads to counting, this is another great opportunity for young children to build foundational math skills. Regardless of how high a preschooler can rote count, a child’s sense of what those numbers actually mean develops gradually. We call this “understanding number sense,” and it requires relating numbers to actual quantities.

There are three core counting principles:

Counting Sequence 
There is an ordered sequence of number names. Counting involves using the same sequence each time, starting with one. By using counting songs and moving each object as you give it a “name,” you can help children learn the counting sequence.

One-to-One Correspondence
One number from the counting sequence is assigned to each object in a collection. Instruct the children to put each object into a container or slide it across the table as it is counted.

Cardinality
The last number assigned to an object when counting a collection indicates the total quantity of objects in the collection. Ask: “How many?” If the children don’t know the answer to this question, count the objects together and note the last number that you counted as you push the objects all together into a group.

By turning counting into an enjoyable, hands-on activity, you are also introducing the children to mathematical concepts such as place value and addition.

Remember to take it slow and make it fun. Children develop at different rates and have different learning styles. They will master early math concepts in their own time and in their own way.

So let the children set the pace. Enjoy the cooler fall temperatures as you embark on your collecting expeditions—and see what collections land in your pockets!

Looking for some great activities to introduce sorting and counting to your early learners? Look no further than the Early Math Counts lessons page.

Here are a few of my favorites to help you get started:

• Cereal Sorting
• Laundry Sorting
• One Fish, Red Fish

“Can we play with those counting things today?”

Two bubbly three-year-olds are standing in front of me with expectant smiles on their faces. I have absolutely no idea what they talking about—or what’s going on in those busy little brains, which I can almost hear whirring with activity.

“What counting things are you looking for?” I ask.

“Those pieces of wood with the holes,” responds Hissham.  “But they aren’t holes, really. They’re like circles….”  He trails off, hoping that I’ll know what he means.

“And we want the buttons!” Mariana chimes in.

Ah, they want the mancala boards!

We are quite intentional about setting up math environments that don’t scream MATH CENTER.

We start with authentic materials like the mancala boards—materials that encourage sensory play and exploration. Then we sneak in other materials that lead the children into deeper math investigations.

We don’t focus much on rote counting and number recognition. Instead, we foster the development of the children’s number sense because we want the children to move on from rote number identification to a more holistic understanding of number quantity. 

Children learn math at their own pace by using many different skill sets that don’t always develop at the same pace or in the same order. So we give them lots of options to let them learn in their own unique ways. By keeping it playful and hands-on, we set them up for math success. 

The new math that is being taught in schools uses ten frames a lot. So what is a ten frame?

A ten frame is a rectangle with 10 equal spaces. It has five spaces on the top and five on the bottom. You can use counters or math manipulatives to represent numbers less than or equal to 10 on the frame. Ten frames are available to download and print from various websites—or you can use a ten frame like the one pictured above.

Ten frames help children “see” numbers by providing a visual representation of a number and its value. Ten frames also enable students to physically place items, each within a single “frame,” to create a visual representation of numbers from 0-10.

Ten frames help kids develop number sense. For our youngest learners, we often provide five frames, which are arranged in a 1-by-5 design. Research suggests that five frames are a good place to start for very young children. 

By working with numbers in ten frames, children can see the number of manipulatives that a number represents. Ten frames set the stage for work with larger numbers. I love ten frames because children can use them in ways that reflect their unique developmental level. Ten frames also enable children to play with patterns and group objects together. It may look like play, but ten frames help build a basic understanding of early math—and lay the foundation for later math learning.

I love wooden ten frames like the one in the photo above, but they are pricey. I have been searching for (and finding!) mancala boards at thrift shops and yard sales for years. We now have a collection of second-hand ten frames that we use for playful math. 

You can buy a ten frame or download ten-frame printables from various early childhood websites, but there are endless ways to create your own ten frames. We’ve used egg cartons, ice cube trays, tape on a table (above) and chalk on the sidewalk.

Recently, I had the grand idea of taping the ends of our mancala boards to create ten frames (see photo above). I was feeling quite giddy about my clever adaptation, but then I decided that the tape would be distracting. So I went one step further and cut my mancala boards into ten frames (see photo below).

Then I realized that five frames would be even better for the two-year-olds in my program. With a five frame, younger students can use smaller set sizes that are within their developmental counting range.

Young children are always collecting something. By incorporating a five frame into their collecting activities, we help them develop a rudimentary understanding of number sense.

Pete the Cat and his oh-so-groovy buttons have been at the top of our reading and music rotation list lately, so adding button manipulatives seemed like a logical next step.

But beware: Any small manipulative is a choking hazard, so please choose your manipulatives carefully!

By now, I was a bit “saw happy,” so I also created a three-frame to use with subitizing and a two-frame, as well as a one frame for one-to-one correlation. Remember, we want these activities to be developmentally appropriate for the youngest children in our programs.

Remember, our goal is not to work on counting, but to set the stage for later learning with these early math tools.

Older preschoolers can move up to the ten frames when they are ready. I generally suggest that they start in the top left corner and fill the entire top row before moving on to the second row (just like reading).

Of course, this is way beyond the developmental level of our youngest learners. All that we want to see with these children is the ability to place one button in one circle. As their brains continue to develop and their understanding of early math concepts grows, they can graduate to ten frames.

While the children are playing with their frames, you can help foster the development of counting skills by putting a counter in each square of the frame and saying: “One, Two, Three, Four, Five—you have five buttons.”

Then tell the children to count the buttons. After they have counted to five, ask: “How many buttons are there altogether?”

If they answer five without recounting, they may be exhibiting an understanding of cardinality (the knowledge that the last word in a counting sequence represents the total number of objects in a set).

Cardinality is a school standard for kindergartners, but your early learners will just think of it as a fun game to play with buttons! 

You can easily adapt these Early Math Counts lesson plans for use with ten frames in your classroom:

• Groovy Buttons
• Mouse Count
• What Comes in Twos, Threes and Fours?

Don’t forget to click on the CONNECT WITH FAMILIES button on the left side of each lesson page to download and customize a Family Letter to send home with your students after each lesson.

Do your early learners know how to play Garbage, a fun and engaging card game that helps young children—especially preschoolers and kindergartners—strengthen their early math skills?

A game of Garbage usually involves two players and a standard deck of cards with the jokers removed. For our youngest learners, we also remove the face cards (kings, queens, and jacks) Each player is dealt 10 cards. The cards are placed face down in front of each child in two rows of five. The rest of the cards are placed in the center of the table as a draw pile.

So let’s get a game of Garbage started!

Ask Player #1 to draw a card from the draw pile and look at it. Let’s say it is a FIVE. Player #1 will count to her fifth card, remove it,  and replace it with the five card, face up in its location. Then Player #1 will look at her new card and determine where she can play that card. 

If Player #1 draws a number card that has already been played, Player #1’s turn is over—and Player #2 takes a card from the draw pile. The first player to complete an entire set of 10 cards is the winner.

When, Maleah, a four-year-old in our group, plays this game, she tends to count one by one as she touches each card. For example, when she draws a five, she’ll count from one to five, placing the card down as she finds the fifth pile.

Six-year-old Jamanjae is already comfortable counting up to 10. He quickly identifies the position of the seven on the second card in the bottom row and places his card there.

It takes time and practice to master the skill of putting numbers in order. I can see Maleah’s number sense emerging as she becomes more familiar with this game. If a few cards have already been flipped over, she will use those to help her find where the next card goes. If she pulls an eight, she’ll spot the seven nearby and place her eight card next to it. This shift in understanding marks a key milestone in Maleah’s early math journey.

Number sense is all about recognizing patterns, making connections, and understanding the value of numbers, so this shift represents a step forward in those skills. As children play this simple game, they are also developing their number-recognition skills and beginning to grasp concepts such as number value, greater than, and less than.

I love this card game for so many reasons, but the main one is its resemblance to the design of a ten frame. Garbage—with its two rows of five cards—can be an incredibly effective way to strengthen early math skills because the cards are arranged in a pattern that children recognize from their ten-frame activities.

Children learn math at their own pace by using many different skill sets that don’t always develop at the same pace or in the same order. So we give them a lot of options that allow them to learn in their own unique ways. By keeping it playful and hands-on, we set them up for math success.

That small deck of playing cards contains a lot of math just waiting to be explored. As this game progresses, you’ll have many opportunities to observe and assess each player’s number sense. Can each child identify the numbers by name?

Card games such as Garbage, War, or Go Fish can help children visualize math concepts through play—and offer entertaining alternatives to worksheets and screen time in the process!

Ready to get started? Check out this How to Play Garbage  video for step-by-step instructions. Then grab a deck of cards and let the learning begin!

“Why is there dirt in the snow?” asks Seana as we hike through some freshly fallen snow speckled with dirt and debris.

“Maybe it blew off of a roof?” Anthony suggests.

“I think it came from the birds and squirrels,” Elijah chimes in.

“Or maybe the wind blew it off of the trees?” guesses Quinn.

These observations spark a lively conversation about where the dirt came from and how it ended up in the snow. The children wonder if they are eating dirt when they sneak a bite of snow, if the dirt will float to the top when the snow melts, and if they will be able to see the dirt more clearly once the snow turns into water.

Eager to discover the answers to these questions, we decide to bring some snow inside and observe it as it melts.

Our goal is to explore the properties of snow, measure its depth, and observe how it changes as it melts. This provides a wonderful context for practicing key math and science concepts such as measurement, comparison, and data collection.

After collecting fresh snow in jars and bringing the jars into the classroom, the children use a measuring stick to measure the depth of the snow in each container (see photo below). 

This is a fun, hands-on way to reinforce the concept of measurement. The children measure the snow before and after it melts, then compare the amount of dirt in the water to the amount of snow that they started with.

Through the use of measuring sticks, the children also practice counting while learning about measurement units. They learn that the numbers on the measuring sticks represent how much space the snow is taking up in the jars and begin to grasp the concept of measurement as they develop their number sense.

Their curiosity and questions drive the entire investigation, making it an engaging and meaningful experience for everyone involved.

After measuring the snow in the jars, we place each jar in a different classroom location to see how the snow will melt under different conditions over time. We place some of the jars near sunny windows and others in cooler or darker areas of the classroom.

Then we make predictions about which jar of snow might melt fastest based on its size and location. Making predictions and testing hypotheses is a key part of the scientific method. As they engage in these processes, the children develop problem-solving skills that will be essential to later math and science learning.

As the snow melts and the children record their observations, this period of observation turns into an impromptu lesson about transformation. The children compare the volume of the snow as a solid to its volume as a liquid and discuss the difference between the two states of matter. This lays the foundation for an early understanding of scientific concepts such as melting, temperature, and physical changes in matter.

While measuring the snow at different stages of the melting process, the children also notice that the snow melts at different rates in the different jars. This gives them a real-world context for the concept of comparison. As they discuss terms such as more, less, and the same, they gain a foundational understanding of how to compare quantities.

After measuring and comparing, we stack the math linking cubes pictured above to create a visual representation of the volume of snow in its frozen and melted states. This gives our early learners a rudimentary understanding of what it means to measure.

Through hands-on play with these math linking cubes, the children also begin to understand the numerical value of their measurements. This multi-sensory learning helps them understand early math in a more visual, tactile, and engaging way than traditional worksheets or lessons.

All in all, this snow measurement activity is so much more than a fun experiment. It is an opportunity for our youngest learners to engage in real-world math, build important measurement skills, and make connections between math and science. 

Whether it’s measuring snow in its solid and liquid states, making predictions about how much snow will fall, or following animal footprints on a snowy day, winter is the perfect time to integrate math and science into everyday experiences.

We hope you’ll be inspired to embark on some snowy STEM adventures of your own this winter!

“Did you get new blocks?” four-year-old Marlo shouts as she makes a beeline for a table piled high with SumBlox, our newest early math learning tool.

Without waiting for an answer, she begins stacking the blocks into a tower. Suddenly she stops and asks: “Hey! Are these numbers?” 

“Yep, they are number blocks,” I confirm. “There are lots of different ways to play with them.”

Marlo tilts her head, looks at me quizzically for a second, and then begins to arrange the blocks in numerical order. Within minutes, she has another epiphany.

“Every number gets bigger and taller!” she notes with excitement.

Five-year-old Seana joins Marlo at the table.  “These are cool!” she exclaims.

I continue to observe as these two early learners explore our newest playful math tools.

Just when I thought wooden blocks couldn’t get any better, I discovered SumBlox: wooden blocks shaped like the numbers 1 through 10.

But here’s what truly unique about this block set: Each block’s size reflects its numerical value. For example, the #2 block is twice as tall as the #1 block and the #10 block is 10 times as tall as the #1 block.

These simple yet powerful blocks help children spot numerical patterns and understand the relationships between numbers.

It isn’t long before Seana figures out the magic of these blocks.

“When I stack two blocks together to make them add up to 10 and then line up the different stacks, they are all the same height!” she reports.  (See image above.)

Wow! I think to myself. I love how those little brains work!

Seana smiles and I can see her confidence grow as she stacks different sets of numbers. Her number sense is growing as she “plays” with different number block combinations.

Because the blocks are different heights based on the numbers that they represent, they give children a fun, hands-on way to see how numbers work together, like finding different “friends” for each number that add up to the same amount.

As Marlo and Seana continue to play with the SumBlox, they are learning that different combinations of numbers can form the same total—a key early math concept.

When children can physically manipulate number blocks, they can better understand the concept of  “how much” each number represents. For example, when children see that the #3 block is three times taller than the #1 block, they begin to understand that 3 is more than 1—and the size difference helps them see how numbers grow.

This hands-on approach is especially helpful for visual learners who grasp concepts better by seeing and doing rather than by listening to someone explain the concepts. As children arrange the blocks in various combinations, they can start to recognize patterns such as how numbers add up or how removing some blocks makes a smaller number.

Because the blocks are proportional in size to the numbers they represent, children can see how numbers combine in a visual way.

By placing the #4 and #5 blocks next to the #9 block (see image above), children can see that the heights match, which helps them grasp the idea that 4 + 5 is the same as 9.

Children can also explore how to break down the number 10 into different parts, such as 5 + 5 or 6 + 4, and even experiment with more complex combinations such as 5 + 2 + 3 to reach 10.

This “seeing and touching” approach enables young learners to connect with numbers in a deeper, more meaningful way.

Instead of simply knowing what a number looks like, children begin to understand what that number really represents—how numbers relate to each other, how they change, and how they can be combined or broken down.

All of this helps children develop number sense—a key early math skill.

Number sense can be challenging for young learners to grasp because it involves abstract concepts such as quantity and number relationships.

SumBlox makes these concepts a bit less “abstract” by giving children a hands-on opportunity to practice ordering numbers, which helps them gain confidence as they make and correct mistakes.

As the numbers increase in value, the blocks get taller too, offering a visual cue to help kids understand the concepts of “more” and “less.”

This hands-on approach also makes it easier for children to see the relationships between numbers. As they stack and arrange the blocks, they can practice number recognition, counting, addition, and subtraction. Our more advanced and intrepid early math learners can also explore basic multiplication, division, and fractions.

I love how these blocks also help children spot patterns in numbers and understand how numbers relate to each other.

By observing how towers composed of various SumBlox are taller or shorter, children can see how numbers grow in predictable ways. Simple activities such as putting the blocks in order from 1 to 10 help build number recognition skills, while fostering an understanding of the value represented by each number. Children can begin to see that 10 is much bigger than 1, not just by recognizing the number, but by seeing the difference in the size of the blocks.

A SumBlox set offers a powerful, hands-on way for young learners to explore and understand key early math concepts. Through play, children can physically see and feel the relationships between numbers, which helps build a solid foundation for more advanced math learning down the road.

Playful learning truly makes math enjoyable and meaningful for young minds.

Try pairing SumBlox with Ten, Nine, Eight on our Early Math Counts lesson page!

“How many marshmallows would you like with your hot chocolate, Miss?” asks Cody, imitating a waiter in a fine restaurant as he holds out a tray of yellow pompoms.

“Can I have five, please?” Makenzie responds.

“One, two, three, four, five . . . there you go!” says Cody as he counts out the pretend marshmallows with a flourish.

Then he moves on to Zachary, who says, “I’d like seven marshmallows, please.”

“Okay, ” Cody replies. He glances down at his tray to estimate the number of remaining marshmallows. “But I don’t think I have that many.”

Then he starts to count again, plunking the pretend marshmallows one by one into the different sections of his ten frame to keep track. “One, two, three, four, five . . . hmm, that’s all I have.”

Through this simple interaction, Cody and his friends are developing a deeper understanding of numbers and quantities. When children use ten frames in play, they are actively exploring math concepts in a fun, hands-on way. Ten frames help children visualize numbers and grasp concepts such as grouping, patterns, and relationships.

By physically moving the pompoms from the tray to the different sections of the ten frame, they are also engaging in kinesthetic learning, which is a vital part of early childhood development. This physical interaction with numbers reinforces abstract math concepts such as counting, subitizing (recognizing small quantities without counting), and one-to-one correspondence.

At first, a ten frame may simply feel like part of a game—something that the children use to count objects, organize toys, or create patterns. This playful early exposure to ten frames will make these learning tools less intimidating when they are introduced later as part of the formal primary school curriculum.

The use of ten frames in an informal, low-pressure setting also reduces math anxiety and boosts confidence as children become more comfortable with numbers. When the focus is on exploration and play rather than “getting the right answer,” children develop a positive, confident attitude toward math.

The simple act of filling and emptying a ten frame or organizing objects into groups strengthens neural connections that are crucial for brain development. This tactile play builds fine motor skills, spatial awareness, and problem-solving abilities—all essential for future learning.

When children move objects around in ten frames, they are doing more than practicing math: They are developing foundational skills that will support every aspect of their cognitive development. The more children touch, feel, and explore, the more they learn!

I encourage you to add ten frames to your classroom or home play area and watch as the children engage with them in creative and exciting ways. The best part? You don’t need a formal lesson to get started. Simply let the children explore the ten frames as part of their play and watch how they naturally build basic math skills along the way.

For a story that ties in beautifully with math and the magic of marshmallows, check out The Last Marshmallow by Grace Lin. This charming tale of sharing and counting is perfect for building early math skills through storytelling.

After your book share, check out our “Hot Cocoa Math” lesson plan for a fun and easy way to integrate ten frames into play!

“Here’s a circle!” calls out two-year-old Eleanor.

“My mom calls that a cylinder, and it goes over here,” says four-year-old Nadia.

“A silly-der?” Eleanor is puzzled.

The room erupts in laughter as Nadia gently corrects her: “No, Eleanor, it’s a cylinder.”

Eleanor gamely gives it another try. “Oh, a silly-her?” she asks with a giggle, happy to be the center of attention.

This playful exchange continues, with Eleanor determined to say “cylinder” correctly, much to the hilarity of her friends.

Finally, she nails it: “Your mom calls this a cylinder!” Applause and dancing follow in a lighthearted celebration of Eleanor’s success.

In this vibrant block center gathering, we have all of the ingredients for deep learning. Movement, physical touch, mentoring, and experimentation are all at play.

When mistakes happen, they’re met with laughter rather than frustration and friends are always ready and willing to lend a hand.

This rich environment fosters conversation, cooperation, and problem-solving as the children engage in hands-on learning while meeting important educational standards. 

It’s nearing lunchtime, and the children in the block area have somehow caught a case of “pick up” fever.

This is rare, as many of you know. We usually have one older child who assumes the role of “organizer.” This is the child who likes to put the unit blocks in a specific place and in a specific order, while the younger children struggle just to find room on any available surface.

So when I see the blocks being organized on the shelves by attributes, I stop to observe the collaboration and child-led learning that is unfolding in front of my eyes.

“The long blocks go here,” Nadia instructs her younger friends. “If you have two shorter blocks, you can make a long block. See?”

“We can put two triangles together to make a square and stack them here,” Sasha chimes in.

The excitement in the block area is contagious as the children collaborate, explore, and learn together.

As I observe Saaliha, I can almost see the wheels turning in her mind. She carefully experiments with the blocks, turning them this way and that, determined to find the right fit. It’s deep thinking at its finest. When she sees a friend successfully place a block, she mimics her friend’s technique and—success! There’s no grand celebration, just a quiet determination to find another matching block to solidify her learning.

This is where the magic of hands-on learning happens. Saaliha’s brain might not have grasped these concepts on paper, but the tactile experience of handling blocks and using vocabulary in context has helped her put the pieces of the puzzle together.

As educators, we need to focus on making learning real. The Early Learning Standard is met, but more importantly, Saaliha is developing critical cognitive skills in a way that feels natural and engaging.

These vibrant moments of play offer invaluable opportunities for observation. During these times, we can step back and truly witness the learning that is happening in front of us. 

The block center is often the epicenter of these play buzz moments. Blocks are universally appealing and developmentally appropriate for young children, making them an essential resource in any early childhood setting.

If your program doesn’t have a dedicated block area, consider advocating for one. A well-designed block center can enrich the life of every child and help foster the development of a wide variety of skills.

If you already have a block area, try to carve out longer periods of time for uninterrupted play. Get down on the floor, observe the learning, and check off the early learning standards that the children are meeting. You’ll see so much happening in that corner of your early childhood center, from math and science to geography and art!

The block center is more than just a space for play: It’s a rich environment for building cognitive, social, and emotional skills.

Through block play, children learn about shapes, sizes, and spatial relationships—all while practicing essential communication and cooperation skills.

Let’s embrace these moments of discovery and learning. By fostering a playful atmosphere, you are not only meeting educational standards but also fostering a lifelong love of learning.

So, let’s dive into the block corner and watch our young learners thrive!