4 Preschool Math Games that Show Math in Real Life

I think every subject in school gets a bad rap for one reason or another, but sometimes it is really hard to explain to kids why they need to learn this or that math… thing.

Luckily, preschoolers are just learning fundamentals that we continue to use throughout our adult lives, so showing them how we actually use that annoying stuff they are learning is pretty easy.

And, when you have preschool math games that actually show these real life uses for math, they’ll be having such a blast they won’t even try to deny your adult wisdom about the necessity of math.

1. Measure to Build

Don’t laugh, but one of the things me and my kids do for fun is look at houses online. We are currently a bit crowded, and looking for our dream home is just something we can all have fun thinking about.

My 4-year-old will sit in my lap and tell me he loves all of them and they are all his “best one.” My 5-year-old just asks when we are going to a different house. That makes this activity right up their alley.

Tell your little one you’re going to build a house for one of her beloved stuffed animals (or a garage for her car collection, etc.). Explain that before builders can build things, they have to know how big to build it, so they have to measure.

Give her some string or yarn to measure the length, width, and height of whatever objects are going to be in the structure. Cut the yarn off for each measurement and place it immediately in the building area (except the height one, obviously – set it aside to check along the way).

You could also have her do it – you don’t have to be a control freak like me. Now, let her use building blocks, your stash of empty containers you thought you’d never use, or other random things to build with according to the yarn specs.

The goal is to build it according to measurements and in a way that holds.

Up the challenge factor by having your little one measure by a unit – paperclips, toy cars, whatever is fun!

This preschool math game teaches your kid spatial relationships and measurement… get that personal bubble back! Maybe?

2. Show Me the Money!

Your adorable preschooler might like to think she’s a shopping queen. That is no joke in my house – my preschoolers will actually fight over window shopping time on Amazon. There are some skills they need to learn before donning that crown though. This game is a perfect intro.

This is a little bit like any version of playing store you’ve heard of with some slight variations to make it more preschool friendly and skill-oriented.

Gather up some random things around the house that you can set up in the “store.” Next to each item have a card that shows the “price” in numeral form and in visual form. For example, Big Bird might have a card next to him with “5¢” and then a picture of 5 pennies.

For extra learning, you could put “OR” and another coin combination, like for our “5¢” example, you would have a picture of 5 pennies, “OR,” and a picture of a nickel. Here are some you can print out to get you started!

And the fun begins! Tell your little one to get shopping! You can give her a handful of coins or print out some play money. Have her match her coins to the ones on the card while counting. The game is over when she runs out of money.

Keep playing, let her be the storekeeper, or bump up the challenge level by removing the visual part of the price cards.

This teaches one-to-one correspondence, counting, numerals, familiarity with money, what a price is, the concept of limited resources, and most importantly, how to be bossy (totally kidding).

3. What time is it?

How many times a day do you look at the clock? I glare at that thing when I wake up precisely 2 minutes before my alarm goes off, after working all day – wait, it’s only 2:00 p.m.?? How the… ?! And especially as I am counting down the minutes until the kids’ bedtime.

Let’s be honest. Checking the clock is usually not a fun part of adult life, but it is a part our kids will need to learn. Here is a game that will put those clock-glares on hold for your little one for a while yet.

First, you’re going to make some cards showing the daily events for your child – wake up, breakfast, lunch, dinner, bed time, brawl with brothers, etc.

Any kind of paper and drawing/symbol is fine, as long as your little one understands what it means, and don’t make this exhaustive – 5-7 is a good place to start.

Then, on a separate piece of paper, write out the usual times those things happen, e.g. “7:00 a.m.” for breakfast, and cut those out separately.

Finally, draw some clock faces representing those times and cut them out.

Now, tell your little one to put the event pictures in order – up and down with the earliest event at top. Then, have her place the digit form of the time next to the event.

Some kids will know digital times already, but for some, it will be a lot of trial and error as they learn their numerals and specific times things happen in your house.

That’s the point of the game – just make sure you are answering questions and keeping it fun!

Last, have your kid match the analog clock to the event pic and digit time. Again, there will possibly be a lot of questions here, so make sure you explain the connection between the digit form and the analog form.

The best part? This can be extended for an insane amount of time – I mean at least long enough for you to cook supper. The kiddos can draw out some things they want to do or other things that will happen that day and pick what time.

Or have them plan out their best day ever with their own drawings and time slots.

Look at those skills – sequencing, telling time to the hour, number recognition, and learning other ways people use time besides when Mommy is “counting to three.”

To make it really easy for you guys, I made this printable sample of the game you can use to get started.

4. Order up!

My mom was a cook and a waitress when I was growing up, so this was a natural game for me and my sister as youngsters. Give your little one a notepad (or just a piece of paper if notepads continually disappear in your house like they do here) and a pen.

Now, let your kid take orders for a family treat everyone enjoys – cupcakes, cookies, pancakes, etc. Remind everyone to keep it simple, and if you want some serious thinking going on, let your little one figure out how to take these orders himself.

Otherwise, or if he gets frustrated, show him how to make simple tally marks next to a picture of the treat. After gathering the orders, have him count the tally marks, and then, write the number for him to see. Finally… make the treats of course!

Cooking is always a great teaching opportunity.

These were just my favorite preschool math games, but don’t forget about the other ways you can show your kids math – in the grocery store, Christmas shopping, exercising, etc. It doesn’t have to be complicated – just include them where you can.

I hope you guys have a lot of fun with these real-life math games!