Math crops up in everyday activities in so many ways. You can help preschoolers see math in the petals of a flower, the shape of a window, the bounce of a ball, the growth of a plant, and the repetition of a song. Instead of teaching math to preschoolers, you can be their guide as they experiment, think about problems, try solutions, gain understanding, and discuss their findings. Creative Investigations in Early Mathgives teachers practical ideas for intentionally fostering young children's hands-on explorations in the following areas:

• Number and number sense
• Computation
• Geometry and spatial sense
• Measurement
• Data collection and statistics
• Patterns and relationships

With your guidance, preschoolers can figure out how the world of mathematics works and how math works in their world.