Counting & Number Bonds: Math Games for Early Learners

Prepare your child for math success — by playing games!

You’ll love these math games because they give your child a sturdy foundation for understanding mathematics.

Young children play with counting and number recognition. Older students explore place value, build number sense, and begin learning the basics of addition.

Counting & Number Bonds features 21 kid-tested games, offering a variety of challenges for preschool and early-elementary learners. Chapters include:

• Early Counting: Practice subitizing — recognizing small numbers of items at a glance — and learn the number symbols.
• Childhood Classics: Traditional folk games invite the whole family to enjoy playing with math.
• Number Bonds: Build a mental picture of the relationships between numbers as you begin to explore addition.
• Bigger Numbers: Develop familiarity with two-digit numbers and promote strategic thinking skills.

Math games prevent math anxiety. Games pump up your child’s mental muscle, reduce the fear of failure, and generate a positive attitude toward mathematics.

Parents can use these games to enjoy quality time with your children. Classroom teachers like them as warm-ups and learning center activities or for a relaxing review day at the end of a term. If you are a tutor or homeschooler, make games a regular feature in your lesson plans to build your students’ math skills.

So what are you waiting for? Clear off a table, grab a deck of cards, and let's play some math!

Denise Gaskins is a veteran homeschooling mother of five who has taught or tutored at every level from preschool to undergraduate physics. She loves math, and she delights in sharing that love with young people. "Math is not just rules and rote memory," Denise says. "Math is like ice cream, with more flavors than you can imagine. And if all you ever do is textbook math, that's like eating broccoli-flavored ice cream!"
As author of the popular blog Let's Play Math, Denise helps parents and teachers open their students' eyes to the variety and richness of mathematics. Her articles and books explore the adventure of learning math as a playful mental game.