Manipulatives are essential in an early childhood classroom. Manipulatives help a student understand concepts by physically seeing and doing the problem. They are great for all grade levels, but especially the younger learners when they are learning about values and patterns.
There are several interactive activities that can be done with manipulatives that are sure to keep your students actively engaged. Most of the time they won’t even be realize they are learning.
Here is a list of inexpensive or school provided manipulatives that will strengthen your lesson.
- Snap Cubes
- Two-color Counters
- Plastic Bears
- Play-doh
- Foam Shapes
- Geoboards
- Base Ten Blocks
- Color Tiles
- Fraction Circles
- Dice
- Fake Money
- Write-On/Wipe-Off Clock
- Rekenrek
What concepts can you teach with them?
- Time
- Money
- Size
- Patterns
- Color
- Addition
- Subtraction
- And more!
Each child receives a tool kit to store their math manipulatives. They keep their tool kit in their cubbies or desk. My students could sit for hours and play with their manipulatives and yours will too!
Incorporate them into your next math lesson. You are sure to see positive growths in their learning and understanding.