“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!

Dominos were originally designed as an adult game with versions like Muggins, Mexican Train or Five-Up. Over the years, people have made up their own games using dominos, just like playing cards.  For generations, dominos have been a family favorite around the world.

I have written several times about dominos in the past; here, here and here. Today, I want to show you some very simple dominos designed with very young children in mind.

This set is about as simple as you can get.  The pieces are large enough for small, chubby hands, they are sturdily made, and come in a box.  There are not too many of them but enough to go around.  Each domino has two dots (pips) with one or 2 colors.  The colors are also textured to add another dimension.

One of the earliest skills sets that children are thinking about is “same and different.” While playing with them, ask the children if the pip colors are the same or different.  You can then ask if they can find the “same” domino.  Set them up so the same colors touch one another, but I wouldn’t expect toddlers to do the same.  Older infants can simply put them in the box and take them out of the box (or in the mouth or out of the mouth:).  They may even pile them up and knock them down.

Yes, dominos are for infants and toddlers too.

Now imagine the same child on the same swing and rather than getting distraught, she tells you what she wants.  She signs “faster” or she signs “slower” but either way she communicates her needs to you before frustration sets in.

Two more words that you can introduce via sign language are “same” and “different”.  Imagine all of the  scenarios where you can help describe things or situations with these two little words.  For example, toddler wants to play with a small truck that another child already has in his possession.  You walk over to the child with another truck and tell him it is the “same” because it is like the other truck.  The child looks at you and points out that he thinks it is “different” by signing the word for “different.” He notices that the color is different, or the wheels, or the size.  You support him by giving language to his signs.  “You see that the trucks are different. They are not exactly the same.  But they are both trucks.”

Now you can explain to the child that he can have the truck “later”

and he responds with, “sooner.”

The conversation begins.

Even very young children will recognize that there are 3 animals in each story – same. They will also notice that both tales have a wolf – same.   From there, the similarities get murkier while the differences become more obvious.  The 3 Pigs are brothers but the 3 Bears are a Mommy, Daddy, and Child bear – different.  There is a little girl in the bear story named Goldilocks but there are no people in the pig story – different. The Wolf is a bad guy in both stories – same, but he experiences very different fates (depending on the version you are telling!)

Even within each of these stories there are opportunities to compare and contrast.  As Goldilocks encounters different areas of the Bear’s house she notices that all of the items are the same (beds, chairs, porridge) but they are also different (firmness, size, temperature).  The Pigs all build houses but the houses are very different.

All of these similarities and differences can be described with and by the children especially if you have visual representations of the characters.  A felt board with all of the characters would work great.  Create a line down the middle of the board so the children can manipulate the characters depending on the questions you are asking.  Once you have explored both stories with the children, leave the felt board and associated pieces out for the children to explore on their own.  It is through access to the materials that they can practice telling and retelling the stories to their hearts’ content.

One of my favorite ways to use children’s books as a vehicle for curriculum development is by examining versions of the same story.  One that jumps to mind is the story of The Gingerbread Boy.  There are so many good versions of this tale; The Gingerbread Man, The Gingerbread Girl, The Gingerbread Friends and the not-so-famous Gingerbread Pirates.

Reading the classic version acquaints the children with the characters and the story line, so they become familiar with the traditional version.  After reading it a few times; enough that they know the characters, and can predict what will happen, you can then introduce a new version.  Tell the children how the story is the same in some ways and different in others.  Ask them to think about what is the same and what is different so they can compare the stories.

There are all sorts of ways to support the children as they make comparisons.  Be sure to use visual representations to organize the children’s ideas.  Using a scanner to make copies of the main characters of each book so the children can see which ones are the same and which ones are different.  You know I like graphic organizers like Venn diagrams or Attribute Maps, so use those to help support the children’s ideas.  Many of the stories have some of the same characters and some different characters.  These distinctions are easily observed by children but some of the nuanced differences may be harder to recognize.  Help the children find them.

This website has more great ideas to explore Gingerbread Man versions.