Storytime Theme: Patterns

Our library struggled this past fall to engage a lot of families to attend our programming. We more often than not have too much interest in programs, so not filling up our programs was really throwing us for a loop! After brainstorming, asking families, and just being willing to try something new, we’re offering our typical storytime class each week. But, then we’re also going to offer different types of preschool programming – open play, science explorers, sign language, yoga, parachute, art, and math. Different types of programs to see what families are really looking for. Already, we’re seeing a lot higher registration than we had in the fall, so I think we’re on the right track.

So many people shy away from math, but you literally do math on a daily basis, purchasing groceries with a budget, cooking or baking, and more. Kids need to learn about math with fun, hands-on learning, that makes math exciting and a positive thing. Not something they should dread or think they aren’t good at doing.

Preschool STEM

Introducing STEM and math concepts to preschoolers is so exciting. Preschoolers actively want to learn. They are looking for ways to make sense of the world around them and math and science is interwoven into it all! You don’t need to know calculus to explore math with preschoolers. Math for preschool isn’t memorizing addition and subtraction facts. It’s exploring patterns, counting, measuring, and more. We just stumbled upon this book – Math Play by Linda Dauksas and Jeanne White that makes learning fun with easy activities that you can do at home or incorporate into lesson plans for preschool or the library storytime.

As always, take the parts of this lesson plan that work for you and leave the rest! Hopefully, I’ve inspired you to try something new or at least get excited about math at the preschool level. And I promise, the families that you engage with will love that you tried something new!

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