Pattern blocks are a great way for young learners to explore the concept of More Than and Less Than because they can be sorted easily by color and by shape. Children can start using terms such as “square” and “hexagon” in their vocabulary when talking about math and still easily be able to categorize them without getting into the concepts of number of sides. Children can either make groups that show the concept of more or less or make puzzles for their friends to challenge them to determine which one has more and which one has less.

What counters do you have in your classroom that kids are already familiar with and love using? For me, it’s these little teddy bears. For this activity, the children found a partner and each played the game “How Many?” by reaching into the bin to pull out one handful of bears. Each partner counted how many bears they had and then the team determined who had more and who had less. We introduced the greater than and less than symbols, but the kids can also verbally talk about how many they got.