There are plenty of math manipulatives on the market. Here are a few of my favorites for preschoolers:
Inchimals: By Fat Brain, Inchimals, is an adorable wooden set of rods picturing animals and divided in inches. The ladybug is one inch and the giraffe is 12 inches in length. It also comes with a wipe on/wipe off book with problems to solve. This math manipulative teaches addition, subtraction, length, measurement, comparison, counting, number value, and equivalent sums.
Counting Bears: I purchased my first set of counting bears ten years ago for my oldest daughter. Back then the bears were plastic and came in red, blue, green, and yellow, housed in a bucket. They also came in a few different sizes to extend learning. Recently, I purchased a set and they were dark brown and light brown with little red hearts on their tummies to represent number values. Instead of a plastic 3D model of a bear the new ones are flat and can link paws. No matter what, they are an adorable tool to teach counting, number recognition, number value, addition and subtraction. Every home with a preschooler needs a set of counting bears.
Dominos: Dominos are not only a fun game to play; you can use the dominos to teach basic math concepts. Taking one domino you can have the child add the dots, subtract the dots, make it a fraction, or teach greater than and less than. A set of dominos will teach preschool through early elementary school math. I had my children use dominos to write addition and subtraction problems down instead of using workbooks.
Crayons: Crayons are a simple math manipulative to use. Like any other math manipulative you can use them for counting, number value, addition, and subtraction. You can also use crayons to make patterns and talk about primary colors, secondary colors, and color mixing. You can instruct the child to draw three pink lines and two green lines and give the answer if you add the two together.
Get creative and use birthday candles, jelly beans, M&M’s and other fun and easy household items.