Order! Compare! Estimate! Building Knowledge and Excitement About Foundational Math Concepts for Preschoolers

What do we do before we eat snack? Which tower has more blocks? Will all of these toy cars fit in my bucket? Children ask questions like this all day long, and they have incredible capacity to answer them when equipped with the right tools. We will discuss how to support all children - including children with special needs - to mathematize their worlds. We will focus on three math topics that are less commonly found in preschool: ordering, comparing, and estimating. Through group discussions, video analysis, and hands-on activities, we will explore: 1) how these skills connect to other domains (e.g., retelling storybook events in order) 2) how they develop in children (e.g., what do children need to know to compare numerals?) 3) effective strategies to bring them to life (e.g., including a referent jar when estimating) Participants will leave with example activities to try in the classroom and inspiration to support children as they talk about, play with, and get excited to use math to understand the world around them.