Teaching Division to Your Preschooler

Teaching Division to Your Preschooler

Using Manipulatives ---

            You basically use the same approach to teaching division preschooler age, preschooler activites. Give your child 3 toy characters and 6 Cheerios and ask them to give each character the same number. They can do this easily by giving one to each toy at a time. Ask them how many Cheerios each toy received. Then say 6 Cheerios divided among 3 toys is 2. And 6 divided by 3 equals 2. Sweep your finger over the 6 Cheerios as you say 6. And over the 3 toys as you say 3. And then point to a group of 2 when you say two.

                

Do Problems on Paper ---

           Come up with simple problems to do on paper. Have your child draw the problem if they would like to. For example, draw 3 baskets and 6 apples on a tree. Tell your child that he or she needs to put the same number of apples into each basket. Have them cross out an apple on the tree each time they draw one in a basket. When your child has finished ask them how many apples are in each basket. Write 6 ÷ 3 = 2. Point to the 6 and explain that this represents the 6 apples that were on the tree. Point to the 3 and explain that this represents the 3 baskets. Point to the 2 and explain that this represents the number of apples in each basket.