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Mathematical termsPreschoolers do not need to know the technical terms for all the math they investigate, but when adults use accurate labels and language during discussions, children are introduced to vocabulary they eventually need.

The math terms in standards and literature may seem confusing or intimidating to the early childhood professional who doesn’t use these terms in everyday conversation. This list is designed to support adults who want to incorporate math talk more fully in their conversations with children. It can also help staff to connect their everyday programming choices with the math standards and skills.

• ascending order = organizing items such as numbers in increasing value from least to greatest

• binary sort = separating a collection into two sets (one that has, one that does not have or one that is, one that isn’t)

• cardinality = the number of elements in a set or group; a cardinal number answers the question of “how much” or “how many”

• concatenate = link things together in a chain or series

• counting on = given two sets and the challenge to find the sum, the person counts the first set and then continues at the next number to count the second set and find a total

• directionality = descriptive words like up, down, back, front, over, through, forward, beside, left, right, far, or near that tell position or movement in space

• mathematize = to regard or treat a subject or problem in mathematical terms; to look at the world through a math lens

• number sense = developing a meaningful sense of quantity.

• order irrelevance = no matter in what order items are counted, the total quantity remains the same

• ordinal numbers = words like first, second, third, last that describe the ordered position of an object

• rational counting = naming a number and linking it to an object in a collection

• rote counting = reciting numbers in order from memory

• seriation = arranging objects/numbers in order according to size, position

• set = a collection that is grouped together in some meaningful way

• subitize = in a look, visually quantify how many is in a group, without one-by-one counting

• symmetry = an attribute where one side is an exact reflection of a form on the opposite side of a dividing line

extension.psu.edu/youth/betterkidcare

Geometric shape definitions• circle = one continuous closed shape containing a

curve where all points are the same distance from the

center

• cone = one flat circle base, one curved side, one apex

(point) face side of a solid shape

• cube = a solid with two square bases and four square

lateral faces, with all faces the same size

• cylinder = a solid shape with two flat circle bases, one

curved side connecting the bases

• hemisphere = a solid shape with one curved surface,

one flat circle-shaped face; half a sphere

• polygon = a closed shape with at least three straight

sides

• polyhedron = three-dimensional solid with flat faces

and straight edges

• prism = a solid where the base is two parallel faces of

the same shape and size (the top and bottom match)

with three or more lateral, rectangular faces that connect the bases

• pyramid = a solid with one base with three or more triangular lateral faces that meet at an apex (point)

• rectangle = closed shape with two sets of parallel sides and four right angles

• rhombus = four sides of equal length and two sets of parallel sides

• sphere = a curved solid with no flat surfaces, edges, or vertices; all points on the surface are an equal distance from the center

• square = a closed shape with two sets of parallel sides, four right angles, and all sides are the same length

• trapezoid = four sides, one set of parallel sides, one set of non-parallel sides

• triangle = closed shape with three straight sides and three angles, and the angles add to 180 degrees

References

The Early Math Collaborative and Erikson

Institute. 2014. Big Ideas of Early Mathematics:

What Teachers of Young Children Need to

Know. Pearson.

Google. “Of.” Definition. Accessed October

12, 2015. https://www.google.com/

search?q=definition+of

Pennsylvania Department of Human Services

and Pennsylvania Department of Education.

2014. Pennsylvania Learning Standards for Early

Childhood: Infant – Toddlers.

HO_BeyondCounting_MathTerms.indd

extension.psu.edu/youth/betterkidcareSupported by funds from the Office of Child Development and Early Learning, jointly overseen by the Departments of Human Services and Education.

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Claudia C. Mincemoyer, Ph.D., Better Kid Care Program Director 2182 Sandy Drive – Suite 204 State College, PA 16803

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