¿Un calcetín de lunares hace juego con uno de rayas? En Un par de calcetines Las niñas y niños pequeños aprenderán a formar parejas, una habilidad matemática temprana importante, mientras un solitario calcetín a rayas busca a su compañero en la casa.

En este libro escrito por Stuart Murphy e ilustrado por Lois Ehlert, se introduce a las niñas y niños el importante concepto de lo mismo y lo diferente. En cada página, el calcetín encuentra una posible pareja en varios lugares de la casa. El libro termina con una página doble de todos los calcetines que aparecen en el libro, y se invita a las niñas y niños a encontrar todos los pares iguales. Los dibujos de colores vivos facilitan que las niñas y niños vean los dibujos y los colores de cada calcetín.

In the book we find many opportunities to find math around the home. Invite children to help find pairs of socks when they are putting away their clean clothes. Classify clean clothing in groups by separating shirts, pants, and underwear into piles. By doing this they are defining groups: These are the pajamas, these are the shirts, these are the pants. Then separate the clothes by creating the clothes that belong to each member of the family. These are dad’s clothes, baby’s clothes, big brother’s clothes. And what about clean clothes versus dirty clothes? Whites and colored clothes? There are many ways to sort laundry, depending on the task at hand.

There isn’t a location or chore around the house that doesn’t allow for discussion around matching, sets, and sorting.

Think of all the times sorting and classifying can take place at different times and in different seasons. In the summer, organize swimming gear and outdoor toys. In the winter, organize the family’s gloves or mittens in pairs for easy finding and to prevent them from getting lost throughout the house.

And don’t stop there. After you wash the silverware, ask children to help you put them away in the drawer, making sure that they are all in their proper place with other matching silverware. There isn’t a location or chore around the house that doesn’t allow for discussion around matching, sets, and sorting.