Busy Little Hands: Math Play!: Learning Activities for Preschoolers

Busy Little Hands #3

by Linda Dauksas, Jeanne White

In this third book in the Busy Little Hands series, ( Busy Little Art Play!  and  Busy Little Food Play! ) preschoolers are introduced to the idea that math is everywhere, and numbers are fun! Each page features lots of bright pictures for pre-readers and each activity is designed for little mathematicians to play with numbers as they count, compare, measure, and make patterns using toys, snacks, and other items that are part of everyday life. From Counting Cars and Shape Stamping to Number Hide & Seek and Pattern Hunt, this book is packed with learning fun that will set preschoolers on the path to math success. Durable cards and stickers add hands-on learning elements. 

Genres: Parenting, Mathematics, Nonfiction

48 pages, Hardcover

Published November 9, 2021

Reviews

[Paulina M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't recommend this book enough! I love learning and I am a Math geek. I see math everywhere and love helping children develop early mathematical skills and set the foundation that learning math is fun.

Busy Little Hands: Math Play! has inspired me. I deliver a virtual program and I loved how some of the materials used are common household items, which makes it easier to facilitate the activities virtually.

I particularly loved the illustrations and resources at the end. In person, I can see myself leaving the book out as a provocation and allowing children to choose their activity.

I will be using it in my classroom and recommending it to parents / friends with younger children

Thank you Storey Publishing, NetGalley, Linda Dauksas and Jeanne White for an advanced copy of Busy Little Hands: Math Play! in exchange for an honest review.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This activity book is full of maths activities for early years aged children to support them in their development. The activities involve counting, number recognition, shapes, size, weight, patterns, sorting, problem solving and more, giving the readers and little learners. Vast variety of options to choose from, to keep the little ones entertained. The book contains illustrations and real life picture/examples which prompt and instruct on how to do the activity on the page, alongside its text. This gives the children chance to follow them independently, particularly those who do not have the ability to understand the words. The text has additional information for the adults to help them prepare for the activity and in supporting the children involved.

This cleverly designed book would be perfect for the bookshelf’s of young children, providing them with many learning opportunities and activities for them to explore and enjoy. They are easy enough to do at home as they can be set up using resources available in the home, so no need to go out and spend money on additional items. This gives parents the chance to observe some of the amazing thing their child can already do and gives them the opportunity to join in on their learning experience, sharing it with them.

As an early years educator this book provides great examples of simple mathematical play that will benefit a child in the development. It uses activities that are often used in early years settings, I know many we use in my own (although slightly different but with the same outcomes) and the book would make a lovely addition for settings to use either as a go-to for activity ideas, to introduce less experienced workers to activities in this development area or for the children to have access to to explore and use independently within their setting.

Thank you NetGalley, the authors and publishers for the opportunity to read and review this e-book. I highly recommend this lovely activity filled book!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

To start off, I have to admit that I am sucker for colorful kids' activities books. Perhaps a side effect of being a stay at home mom, but I have so many and still end up with more! Yet, because I have at least perused, and own a great deal, of what the market has to offer, I know which ones are the best.

So trust me when I say: This one is a good one!

This book isn't especially long, around 50 pages, so keep that in mind. But the simplification to prioritizing activities is actually really nice. Like the cover, each page is beautiful with so many colors and pictures and step by step visuals. I'm a visual person so if I try reading a craft or cookbook without pictures I lose interest before I even begin. There are fun activities included to teach counting, patterns, shapes, and many other STEM concepts. I love how the activities are hands on (aka perfect for preschoolers!) and utilize real life activities to give the math concepts more relevance.

I know these activities will be a hit with my kiddos!!

Thank you to Storey Publishing for sharing this copy with me in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kiddos (2, 3, & 6) are big fans of the Art Play book in this series, so I was excited to see this new addition was coming and it did not disappoint.

The book (and series) is gorgeous, one of the most colorful activity books I’ve seen and it really draws in adults and children alike.

Some of the activities listed are so simple, parents may already be doing them as they go about the day — like counting snacks. But if not (or even if so!), this is a perfect place to start gathering easy, no- and little-prep ideas to weave math concepts into the day. Other activities included were new ideas to our family and ones I can’t wait to do, like taking surveys and charting responses.

I’m so grateful to have this resource and highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy to review.

[beckys_book_blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has so many practical ideas to help teach basic number concepts to very young children. Ideas include putting the family shoes in order of size, shape stamping with paint and blocks, counting cars and snacks and lots more! So many simple ideas with objects and materials that everyone will have around the house. This is a great book to go to for a quick idea to keep your little one entertained in an educational way. There are suggestions of questions to ask and things to say to enhance the learning experience. I'm definitely going to try out some of these ideas with my 2 year old sin who is learning to count objects reliably at the moment. This book would also be a useful addition to an Early years or preschool setting. Thank you to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for this eARC

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book! It seamlessly integrates math into everyday life, showing children that yes, math is relevant to their lives! The book uses objects that are easy to find (most are already things I have in my home so I don't have to make a special trip to the store for supplies!) and appeals greatly to children. I loved the pictures/illustrations in the book. They were engaging and would definitely hold the attention of a child long enough for the parent to get things ready. I highly recommend this book to any parent looking to create more educational opportunities for their child throughout the day.

I received an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion about this book.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can find activities for numbers, shapes, patterns, and measurements in this book. There are activities from using everyday items, indoor and outdoor activities, and more. This is ideal for toddlers, preschoolers and early elementary children.

This is a tool to help you teach your child with hands on learning using things like stickers and blocks you likely already have lying around your house.

All of these are great activities for children to learn without feeling like it is school and are engaging. I have done most of these with my young children and they loved them. Since my children are older this is obviously not new information but good still the same.

[Emilee (emileereadsbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and Storey Publishing for a free digital copy for my review.

Providing some realistic and fun activities to help children grasp different math concepts, this book will be a great tool to have in a personal library. This book does require and feature "grown-up prep steps" to help your child set up the activities and to grasp the concepts. This is not a hands off book for parents. Lots of arts and crafts and searching around your home is needed. I think this book will be enjoyable for some guided activities though.

[Catherine Craig (Angelic Light) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a superb children's book about maths. It has beautiful illustrations and lots of ideas and activities that I am in the process of trying out with my daughter. We both loved the book and we will have fun going around the house finding lots of different items to do maths with. Thank you for showing us new ways of learning! This book should be in ever nursery school as it is fantastic and very helpful. I highly recommend it!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Kate Keaveny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is ideal for parents of pre-school children who want to develop their children’s maths skills while having fun. Packed full of practical fun activities and suggestions this book will start to develop children’s fundamental maths skills. This book will also be of interest to teacher’s of early years children as it gives plenty of ideas that could be used in class. While the ideas aren’t really anything new they are great reminders of how maths can be practical and fun. The pictures also enhance this book with clear examples and suggestions.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Storey Publishing through NetGalley.
Excellent resource for families with preschoolers. Dauksas presents a series of math activities that will challenge young children and hold their interest. Many of these activities are open ended so families can build on them for future fun and learning. The needed materials are included at the end of the book along with directions and information for adults. I like that each activity offers a brief section on adult prep so families can take care of that before introducing the concept to children.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is math in disguise book! More likely for little kids who just learn to count, this book is super interesting. With 20 games to do with your children, using simple materials, this could make them busy in the time of corona, or even when the pandemic is gone.

Kids are asked to count things, measured things, stamped, and so much fun ways to do things together. A really interesting book of simple games with bright ideas.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a cute book for children to learn about math!! The book gives you ideas that you can use items around your house!! Count your shoes!! Make a countdown! Use your food/snack time to help you count. There are so many different examples of ways to help your child learn to count!!

[Victoria Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book which encourages children to use Maths during everyday tasks. It has many fantastic ideas which I will be using with my little boy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is perfect for early years teachers looking for more ideas for practical maths specifically designed to suit the age 2-5 developmental stage.

I’d definitely love a hard copy for myself to use in class.

[NayDoubleU · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is lovely for any new early childhood education teachers or new parents (by new parents I mean even time a family gets pregnant, not their very first child) it has a lot of cool and fun, low cost, do it at home ideas that's can turn any afternoon into fun time

[Great Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children will be so absorbed in the fun filled activities detailed on these colorful pages that they will absorb the math concepts without any awareness of having done so. Perfect gift for any preschooler or their caregiver!

Reviewer #16

[Piper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a cute book for children to learn about math!! The book gives you ideas that you can use items around your house. My son real enjoyed this book even if he found the numbers easy

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bright and colourful with lots of ideas to help preschoolers learn in fun ways about concepts including counting, measuring and geometry using everyday items from home.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. It had great ideas that could help kids learn different ways to learn math. There were projected that kids could do. Then they could use it to do math in a fun way.

I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. This is my honest unbiased opinions.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful, easy-to-setup activities with minimal prep on a variety of topics. Word and photo explanation helpful.

[Cecile · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.