Preschoolers are like sponges eagerly awaiting to soak in new concepts and facts. Hands-on activities are the number one way that little ones make sense of new things. But, listening to great preschool books for kids enriches those experiences. Today we are exploring preschool math books.
This list is a little heavy on counting books. I couldn’t help myself. There are so many neat ones.
Preschool Math Books
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Counting Books for Preschoolers
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[easyazon_link identifier=”1419723499″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Stack the Cats[/easyazon_link] by Susie Ghahremani is a playful counting book that kids will love to act out during or after reading.
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[easyazon_link identifier=”0152163565″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Counting Crocodiles[/easyazon_link] by Judy Sierra is the tale of a clever monkey who is trying to get from one island to another. He’s clever counting is the perfect way to trick the crocodiles into helping. Kids will practice counting to ten and back. Plus, the book is full of rhyme to build literacy skills too.
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Jan Thomas is one of my favorite writers for super silly and highly engaging books for preschoolers. [easyazon_link identifier=”1416985824″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Is That Wise, Pig?[/easyazon_link] will have the kids laughing and counting up to ten.
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[easyazon_link identifier=”0688135749″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Ten Black Dots[/easyazon_link] by Donald Crews is a classic counting book and it can also extend into an art activity.
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So, [easyazon_link identifier=”1419713744″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Countablock[/easyazon_link] by Christopher Franceschelli is just a cool book. I’m a fan of his Alphablock and Cityblock. The numbers are bold and it can be used for counting too. It counts to 10 and then switches to counting by tens up to 100.
For more counting books, check out our Counting Books in the Garden.
One to One Correspondence (up to 10) Books for Ages 3-5
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Kids will love to see if each animal can be paired with an item in [easyazon_link identifier=”1442453362″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]One Big Pair of Underwear[/easyazon_link] by Laura Gehl.
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The classic [easyazon_link identifier=”089919401X” locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]The Three Bears[/easyazon_link] by Paul Galdone also works for one to one correspondence.
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[easyazon_link identifier=”1338185667″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Ducks Away![/easyazon_link] by Mem Fox works for one to one correspondence, counting, and basic addition sentences. A perfect spring read.
Measuring Books for Preschoolers
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[easyazon_link identifier=”0064467007″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]The Best Bug Parade[/easyazon_link] by Stuart Murphy uses bugs to talk about measuring. Kids will enjoy lining up different things to measure after reading.
Preschool Books About Greater Than/Less Than
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[easyazon_link identifier=”0763694363″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Peg + Cat The Lemonade Problem[/easyazon_link] by Jennifer Oxley and Billy Arnonson is full of math concepts but it works well for preschoolers to compare numbers.
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[easyazon_link identifier=”0816745455″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]The Long and Short of It[/easyazon_link] by Cheryl Nathan compares the length of things such as tongues and tails.
Simple Addition and Subtraction for Preschool Students
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[easyazon_link identifier=”0152050256″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Quack and Count[/easyazon_link] by Keith Baker introduces a little addition practice as we watch a little group of ducklings moving around.
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I have not met a preschooler yet who doesn’t love Pete the Cat. In [easyazon_link identifier=”0062110586″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons[/easyazon_link] by Eric Litwin children are introduced to very basic subtraction that begs for you to pull out buttons to use as manipulatives to solve basic subtraction sentences.
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Preschoolers who love dinosaurs will enjoy [easyazon_link identifier=”1509835520″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Ten Terrible Dinosaurs[/easyazon_link] by Paul Stickland. You can use the book for counting backward from 10 or create subtraction sentences as you read.
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[easyazon_link identifier=”0763635146″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Ten in the Bed[/easyazon_link] by Penny Dale is another one to use for counting backward or creating subtraction sentences as you read. Plus, it’s a fun one to sing with the kids.
Shape Books for Preschool
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Roseanne Thong wrote Round is a Tortilla which teaches about shapes using many items from the Latino culture. Thong also has Round is a Moon Cake.
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Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh works on shapes and colors. Check out the Mouse Shapes name activity we created to compliment the book.
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Shapes, Shapes, Shapes by Tana Hoban contains photographs of objects all around us. It’s a good one for encouraging kids to look around and find objects that are different shapes around them.
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Get kids up and moving with this sing-along book about shapes called The Shape Song Swingalong by Steve Songs.
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A good choice for independent exploration in a math center would be [easyazon_link identifier=”1481476459″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Shapes[/easyazon_link] by John Reiss.
Books About Sorting and Classifying for Preschool
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Do you remember digging through your grandmother’s button box? My boys sure love to dig into their grandma’s box. [easyazon_link identifier=”0140554955″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]The Button Box[/easyazon_link] by Margarette Reid is the perfect simple story to introduce sorting and classifying. It’s perfect for pairing with a tub of buttons for the kids to explore.
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[easyazon_link identifier=”1101918055″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Sam Sorts[/easyazon_link] by Marthe Jocelyn follows Sam as he straightens up all the stuff in his room. What do you do when an object can be placed in more than one group?
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[easyazon_link identifier=”0064467031″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]A Pair of Socks[/easyazon_link] by Stuart Murphy begs you to bring in a basket of socks for the kids to sort and match.
Size Books for Ages 3-5
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[easyazon_link identifier=”0688152872″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Is it Larger? Is it Smaller?[/easyazon_link] by Tana Hoban uses the power of her photography to take kids on a visual journey of comparing the sizes of different objects. It’s a great book to add to a math center and let kids explore on their own.
Preschool Patterning Books
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The photographs in National Geographic books are always great. This simple board book called [easyazon_link identifier=”1426311230″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]National Geographic Kids Look and Learn: Patterns![/easyazon_link] will be a visual treat for preschoolers exploring patterns in their environment.
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Help kids discover and make patterns in [easyazon_link identifier=”0761385029″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]A-B-A-B-A A Book of Pattern Play[/easyazon_link] by Brian Cleary. Patterns can be created with shapes, colors, sizes, and more.
Position of Objects Books for Preschool Age
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In Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins, we follow the hen as she takes a stroll and is followed by a hungry fox. The short story is full of positional words.
I also have book activities to go with the book.—-> Rosie’s Walk Book Activities
Check out my even bigger list on positional books.—> Positional Books for Kids
100th Day of School Books for Preschoolers
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[easyazon_link identifier=”0385390971″ locale=”US” tag=”groboobyboo-20″]Rocket’s 100th Day of School[/easyazon_link] by Tad Hills is an easy reader, but preschoolers will enjoy seeing Rocket and talking about the 100th day of school.
For 10 more books about the number 100 check out this list from Childhood 101.
Build math concepts with these engaging preschool math books.
Printable Math Book List
Grab a printable list of the books shared above. Just click the button below.
And for more great preschool book lists, check out these favorites.
Chapter Books to Read-Aloud to Preschoolers