Games Help Prepare Preschoolers for School

Question: Recently, you suggested how important it is for a 3-year-old to learn to sort and categorize objects to prepare him for school math activities. Parents should also talk to their children about similarities and differences between objects, as many kindergartners and first-graders do not have these skills.

I would also like to suggest that parents play board games with their children. Think about all they can learn from games like Candyland or Uncle Wiggly - taking turns, one-to-one correspondence, following directions, counting the dots on dice and following a path. Children are often unprepared for school because their parents miss out on golden learning opportunities. They don't learn these readiness skills from television, videos or video games. - School Speech/Language Pathologist.

Answer: Board games can be very helpful in preparing young children to do math. What's more, parents and children can have a lot of fun playing these games together.