About Sock Toss

What's the math in this game?

This game gives children practice with counting, cardinality, comparing numbers, and number composition – knowing that two smaller numbers combine to make a larger number. Through everyday experiences, toddlers learn that a whole is made up of smaller parts and that the parts are smaller than the whole. (There can be 5 balls but if 3 of them are in use, only 2 balls are left). By 4 or 5 years of age children can recognize that smaller numbers are ‘hiding inside’ larger numbers such as 2 and 3 are hiding inside 5 (as are 4 and 1). This skill is an early stage of understanding addition and subtraction.