Time4Learning: Preparing for Preschool with Online Math Activities

Education is being introduced earlier in homes than it was fifty years ago. When our own mothers were younger, education was dealt with mainly in the classroom. These days more parents are taking on the responsibility to ensure that their children know what they are supposed to know before stepping foot into a classroom, even at the preschool level.

What should you do if your child is falling behind or maybe you just want to assess for preschool subjects? Time4learning has set up a preschool summer curriculum which helps to not only teach your child but also to assess and note your child’s progress. This article will take a more in depth look at what online preschool activities you can do with various subjects on the Time4learning website including math, letters, and science as well as what activities you can include in your own daily rituals to help reiterate what the child has learned.

As a preschool member, your child will have availability of several math concepts including shapes, colors, and numbers. All of these topics have subsections where your child will pick to play an interactive lesson.

What you can do with colors:

• Storybook: This is where your child can read along with the computer. The story book is based on learning about colors, but the child will also gain knowledge of book parts such as title, author, and pages. Child will also gain a sense of reading from left to right and turning pages as they click the “turn page” button with the mouse.
• Recall: Here the child will recall what they remember about the story they have just read and their colors. This not only helps with color recognition but also helps expand on the child’s knowledge to comprehend stories, a valuable tool they will need in preschool.
• Paint It: This painting activity allows for the child to choose colors to paint with on an online canvas. When choosing a color the narrator states which color the child is using, allowing for color recognition.
• Find It: Here the child is assessed to see if they can recognize colors. The child is given four different colors and the narrator asks for the child to choose a color. If the child gets it correct, a green check mark appears on the correct color. If by any chance the child makes a mistake, they can keep trying until he or she gets it right.

Color extensions: Color activities do not just have to be done on the computer; you can do them at anytime. As you take a walk, are shopping in a grocery store, or maybe even in your own living room play the game “Eye Spy”. Tell your child you spy something with a specific color: “I spy something yellow.”

What you can do with shapes:

• Showtime: Allows the child to watch an interactive video about shapes. During the video shapes are outlined and when the child moves the mouse, the shape’s name is spoken. This allows for an introduction or a recapping of shapes for the child.
• Patterns: Here the child will work on patterns and will be asked which shape should complete a pattern. You can sit with your child and also assess your child for colors during this activity as each shape is a different color.
• Puzzle: This puzzle activity allows for children to choose the correct shape to place in the correct place. Outlines of shapes are on top while the actual shapes are below. The child then picks one shape at a time to fill in the outlines. This helps to further assess for shape recognition as well as allowing the child to use logic reasoning skills.
• Match It: A matching game which allows for the child to match shapes to items with the same shape. For instance a rectangle would match up with a book.

Shape extensions: Use the match it game as the basis for this at home activity. Make a list of shapes and then ask your child to bring you one item for each shape. These items can be found in the house if you are home. Another idea is if you are grocery shopping give the child a list of shapes which he or she must find in each aisle. The activities allow for further assessment of the shape recognition as well as allow the child to connect the knowledge with daily situations.

What you can do with numbers:

• Showtime: Video helps to introduce numbers to child. The interactive video has the child counting along. Children count fish and are given the chance to choose how many fish should appear, between the numbers 1 and 10.
• Memory Match: Based on the traditional game of memory, allows for the child to use memory skills as well as knowledge of numbers to make matching pairs.
• Which: Has a fun game show theme. The game show host sets forth several numbers and the narrator asks the child to choose the correct number. This game allows for assessment of number recognition.
• Match It: This game allows for the child to match a number to a set of objects. For instance the child is given the numbers “4,5, & 6” and they are also given “ 4 cars, 5 cars, & 6 cars”. The child is then asked to match the correct number to the correct amount. This game allows for the child to use the counting skills he or she has learned throughout the math lessons.

Number extensions: The counting and numbers do not have to end when the computer shuts off. Allow the child to continue counting whenever he or she gets a chance. Here are some great ways to utilize counting in daily life tasks:

• Counting money when you go to the store
• Counting items in the grocery store (how many bananas, how many apples)
• Cooking in the kitchen you can have your child count food items for you (we need 3 eggs, 4 teaspoons sugar, etc.)

Here we saw that Time4learning offers online preschool activities in math concepts. The next two articles will look at online activities for alphabet, science, and everyday learning.