Jump into Math is the perfect way to turn children's love of active games into learning opportunities! The activities in each chapter are organized by level of difficulty, and each one incorporates fun, exciting math experiences with movement. Most activities require few or no materials and include related children's books or music to extend the learning. The math skills index included in this book is an invaluable reference tool, giving teachers flexibility to plan around children's interests.

Whether you use these lively math activities during circle or group time, substitute them for more traditional lessons in math, or use them to reinforce lessons, you can be sure that the children will be moving in leaps and bounds toward understanding mathematics. Research shows that the most effective way for children to learn concepts is to experience them physically. Jump into Math offers just this kind of learning. Activities such as Light and Heavy Words, The Number Hunt, and Three-Legged Creatures will actively engage children as they explore new math concepts!

Rae Pica has been a movement education consultant for twenty-five years. She is the author of more than a dozen books, including Jump into Literacy; Teachable Transitions; Wiggle, Giggle, & Shake; and Great Games for Young Children. She is nationally known for her workshops and keynote speeches, and has consulted for groups such as Nickelodeon's Blues Clues, the Sesame Street Research Department, the Centers for Disease Control, Gymboree Play & Music Centers, and the Head Start Bureau. Rae lives in Center Barnstead, New Hampshire.

As I was setting up for a staff development workshop one night, I overheard one teacher tell another about a little girl who'd had a terrible crying jag over being eliminated from a game of Simon Says. The second teacher clucked in sympathy and the conversation moved on from there. There was no discussion of the fact that perhaps the game should be modified in the future so it didn't make children feel bad-that the intention of a game is to have fun.

You've witnessed it yourself, I'm sure: Children chosen last for teams; children sitting against the wall, watching forlornly as their classmates continue to play Hot Potato without them; and children who engage in the most atrocious behaviors to ensure they're not the ones eliminated from a game of Musical Chairs-Rae Pica, author of the new book Great Games for Young Children

The games in this book provide benefits for the whole child, meaning each game benefits all three domains of child development: cognitive, social/emotional, and physical. These new and classic games, each with a noncompetitive twist, are sure to get children up and moving. You'll find everything you need to know to play over 100 great games, including outside games, musical games, circle games, concept games, and cooperative games. Perfect for rainy days, sunny days, and every day, each game in this book offers heart rate raising, team-building, friend-filled fun!

Rae Pica has been a movement education consultant for 25 years. She is nationally known for her lively workshops and keynote speeches and has shared her expertise with such groups as the Sesame Street Research Department, the Head Start Bureau, Gymboree Play & Music Centers, The Centers for Disease Control, and Nickelodeon's Blue's Clues. She lives in New Hampshire.