Children in sensorimotor and preoperational stages, as well as at the preschool level, learn fundamental mathematics concepts daily through experiences in the environment. When children enter formal learning environments, they are active, curious, egocentric, and verbal. It is hoped that they will encounter capable teachers who can choose appropriate learning activities and implement them skillfully. Of course, the child's interaction with the teacher will be mediated by the curriculum. In the area of mathematics, readiness skills for formal early education include classifying, comparing, ordering, patterning, one-to-one correspondence, conservation of number, rational counting, recognizing cardinal and ordinal numbers, number recognition, and writing numerals. For optimal learning, pre-number skills should be taught with real objects. Such "manipulatives" should be carefully selected according to several criteria, including, among others, attractiveness, simplicity, versatility, safety, and economy. In conclusion, examples of sequenced learning activities involving manipulatives are offered. Activities at concrete, semi-concrete, and abstract learning levels are provided for the pre-number skills of ordering and number recognition. Each learning activity specifies learning level, skill, materials, and procedure. (RH)