Picture books are a fun and engaging way to present mathematical concepts for young boys and girls. The mathematics sets on the EC Bookshelf reinforce several indicators identified in the Ohio Early Learning Standards for Mathematics: Best of all, the stories are exciting ones to read aloud. Your little ones are bound to ask for these books to be read again, and again!
Books Count!Books count, and books that include counting as a central theme of the story are an easy and inviting way to introduce young children to numbers and beginning mathematical processes. The books in this column are filled with numbers to recognize, objects to count, number words, number riddles, number rhymes, numbers to count backwards, and some simple addition exercises that are based on counting. The selections have few words but many colorful images that encourage boys and girls to use their minds as they encounter numbers and the corresponding objects that define them. So get ready to count, and count on these books to create an interest and enthusiasm for numbers.
Early ConceptsColors, letters, words—all are
early concepts that lead to later learning. A variety of experiences familiarizes boys and girls with such information and helps them understand how these concepts fit with other ideas and skills.
Math Books That Can Bring It Home Mathematics is not just something you “do” in school. Mathematics is everywhere, and the earlier that children can connect math to the world around them, the more easily they will understand how important math is. The picture books presented here are ones that include mathematics as an integral part of the story and that can be used to bridge the gap between home and school. They are filled with noisy clocks, countable objects, and basic shapes. Some have rhymes, some are funny, and all are entertaining!
More About MathPicture books are an appropriate and inviting way to scaffold the mathematical understanding of young boys and girls. The titles listed below reinforce several indicators identified in the Ohio Early Learning Standards for Mathematics: developing a sense of numbers (counting objects); comparing the attributes of objects (bigger, smaller, lighter, heavier, taller, shorter); ordering a set of objects by size, weight, and length; and describing the relative position of objects in the environment (top, bottom, inside, outside, in front of, behind, between, next to). Best of all, the stories are exciting ones to read aloud. Count the times that little ones ask for these books to be read again!
Numbers and CountingCounting—both counting objects and counting orally—is an important early math concept. Researchers have found that oral counting skills may begin to develop as early as two years of age.* Other initial mathematical ideas include counting in sequence, matching one to one, and counting by tens. The following counting books connect boys and girls with the world of
numbers.
* K. Fuson, Young Children's Counting and Concepts of Numbers (Springer-Verlag, New York, 1988).