Preschool math is simple and easy to teach in the course of daily life. As your preschooler moves throughout his day, he encounters items of different shapes, sizes and colors as well as opportunities to practice counting and basic addition and subtraction.

To be ready for kindergarten, your preschooler needs to be able to:

• recognize numbers 0 through 10,
• count to 10,
• identify shapes and colors,
• complete simple patterns,
• short by shape, color and size,and
• use simple terms like heavy/light, short/tall, big/litle, and first/next/last.

Here are some preschool math activities that will help you teach these skills.

Preschoolers see numbers everywhere in the world around them, whether on the clock, on the microwave, on calendars, on product labels, on the bathroom scale, at the grocery store, and so on.

Point out numbers as your child encounters them in everyday life. Let your child play with a teaching clock or a hundreds chart. Give your child colorful flashcards and help her practice putting them in order. Form numbers out of playdoh, or write them in sand, rice, shaving cream, pudding or finger paints.

When your child is ready, show her how to form numbers on paper and write simple addition and subtraction equations. Slow down or stop altogether if your child expresses anxiety or frustration. You want your preschooler's introduction to the world of math to be simple and fun.

From watching Sesame Street to singing along with a Barney CD, there are a variety of fun ways to help your child practice counting. Sing number songs like 5 Little Ducks and This Old Man. Play games like hopscotch, hide and go seek and Chutes and Ladders. Count the number of times you can spin without falling down or hop without getting tired.

Ask your child to help you get the correct number of cups for each member of the family, count the number of cans to put in the grocery cart or count change to place in a piggy bank. Send your child out on a scavenger hunt in the backyard and have him bring back a certain number of rocks, leaves or flowers. Count while your child cleans up to see how fast he can put his toys away.

You can also create simple, inexpensive activities that encourage counting. Write the numbers 1-12 in the bottom of an empty egg carton, and have your child add the correct number of beans or buttons. Place flashcards on the floor in order, and ask your child to place the correct number of blocks or stickers on each number.

Don't fret if your child skips a few numbers. Children who are regularly exposed to counting will eventually get it!

Preschool games are a fun and easy way to teach shapes and colors. Play games like matching, memory and bingo using bright, colorful pictures. You can buy pre-prepared games or make them on your own.

Playing with tangrams is also a fun way to learn shapes. To save money, cut shapes of different sizes out of construction paper and use them to make a collage. Teach your child to use shapes to form other objects, such as a clown with a large circle for the face, a medium circle for the nose, 2 small circles for eyes, a half-moon for a mouth, and a triangle for a hat.

Teach your child to make simple AB-AB patterns using different shapes and colors. For example place a line of blocks or counting bears in front of your child - red/green/red/green/red/green - and ask your child what comes next. Building paper chains and weaving paper placemats are also fun versions of this activity.

In addition to helping your child practice patterns, teach your preschooler to sort by shape and color. Ask her to put all the red legos in one pile and the green legos in another. Your child can also practice sorting by helping with household chores like sorting laundry, sorting silverware, matching socks and putting away toys.