Want to find more ways to add math talk to your day? It’s as easy as reading aloud! You already know that reading to your children fosters literacy and connection, but it’s also one of the best opportunities to bring in math talk. You definitely don’t need counting or “math” books to find meaningful math—it already exists in your family’s favorite books!


Highlighting math while you read to your kids introduces math concepts in a meaningful context, encourages them to keep an eye out for math concepts throughout their day, and—perhaps most importantly—is engaging and fun. These five tips help kids connect math to their favorite activities and routines, and will get you into the daily habit of finding opportunities for math talk everywhere you look.

1. Start Subitizing

Subitizing is the skill of recognizing small groups of objects without counting—and it’s a crucial step in early math learning! Look for small groups (start with two, like a pair of shoes or mittens, and work up to five) in illustrations and label them. First, identify the group: “Two mittens!” and then ask your child to show you the same number on their hand to practice different types of number pattern recognition.


2. Explore Geometry and Shapes


Get creative and play “I Spy” with shapes in the illustrations. Talk about how different shapes come together to create new shapes (“Those two triangles are making a square!”) or use geometric language to describe the illustrations on the page. (“Harold drew pies in the shape of circles!”) This language helps kids begin to understand geometric concepts in a fun, engaging way.


3. Compare Quantities or Measurements

Comparing the number of objects in different sets helps children build number sense, a foundation of math learning, and begin to understand the relationships between numbers. It also introduces measurement concepts like tallest, shortest, longest, biggest, and smallest. Try this: “There are three chickens, but only two cows! There are more chickens and fewer cows.” “The horse is bigger than the goat!”


4. Spot Patterns


Recognizing and extending patterns is crucial for building logical reasoning and sets the stage for identifying patterns in numbers and counting. Look for patterns beyond alternating colors (like red, blue, red, blue). Find rhyming patterns, patterns in the story (like adding another animal on each page—”The caterpillar is eating four strawberries! How many oranges do you think he will eat?”), or visual patterns “Monkey, banana, monkey, banana, monkey!”


5. Describe Spatial Ideas


Spatial reasoning helps kids with geometric thinking. That includes visualizing shapes and how they combine to make different, more complex shapes, as well as mental number lines that help kids visualize the relationships between numbers. Use spatial vocabulary while reading to enhance understanding (e.g., above, below, between, on top, left, right, upside-down). “The pink truck is above the green truck! The green truck is below the pink truck.” “Uh-oh! The yellow truck went upside down!”

Helping to create a positive relationship with math through reading together is one of the best things you can do to help your child become a confident math learner. As you practice spotting opportunities for math talk when reading, it will start to become second nature. You’ll quickly begin to notice your child doing their own math talk, too, which will have a significant impact on their math skills and confidence. All from adding these five easy tips to your bedtime stories!


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