All about Math Games & Exploration with Jamie

Making Math Fun: Games and Activities for Young Kids

We’re excited to share a closer look at an early-math program designed especially for our littlest learners! In these sessions, kids build confidence with numbers through play using hands-on materials, quick games, and lots of encouragement along the way.

Jamie Sprague, owner of Mathnasium at Rockrimmon, kindly answered a few common questions families often ask -- what a typical session looks like, the skills they practice, and how they keep learning fun and age-appropriate. Below are Jamie’s details in her own words.

What can families expect during a typical session?
We start with a few minutes of free play with Lego or Magna-tiles to center your child and get them ready to learn! After that, we play a variety of fun, short, and engaging math-centered activities designed to teach your child in a way that they don't know they are learning. At the end, we close out with a few more minutes of free play, and at the end, each child goes home with a prize for their hard work!

What kinds of math concepts do you explore?
We explore concepts such as number identification, counting, simple addition, colors, shapes, writing numbers, greater and less than, and reasoning in groups.

Can you give us some examples of the types of games or activities you use?
We utilize a variety of math manipulatives such as bear counters, interlocking blocks, white boards, and playdough to create opportunities for children to explore math concepts in creative and different ways.

How do you keep math fun and engaging at this age?
All activities are tactile, engaging, age-appropriate, and short. We also make sure that we tailor activities to the child's ability. So if multiple children are there of different ages and abilities, they may be doing different activities simultaneously, or the activity may be modified to suit the needs of each child.

Who is Games with Jamie: Pre-K Math Fun and Exploration best suited for?
Ideally, children over 3 years old to kindergarten. Mathnasium uses a curriculum called Great Foundations for students in this age group to introduce math concepts. Immersion in math games such as these is super helpful to kids at this age. Kids who participate in these programs enter kindergarten much better prepared and confident.

Caregivers should be nearby and ready to help refocus kids if they start getting distracted. At the same time, please avoid “leading” them. Let kids do as much of the work independently as they can. If a child is staying on task without help, the caregiver doesn’t need to sit right next to them (sometimes that can actually be more distracting). 😊

Thanks, Jamie!

Ready to make math feel like play? 🧩🎲 Explore upcoming sessions or contact us to learn more.