A collection of our many ideas for kindergarten math activities and the thinking that takes place in kindergarten. For young children exploring activities, thinking, and math games can be a healthy part of children’s first experiences with math. Here are the many resources we have on our website.
Kindergarten Math
Series: Racial Justice
The Power of Books to Support Racial Justice-Centered Math Teaching and Learning
August 10, 2023
From a racial justice centered perspective, books can be powerful tools to engage children in mathematics learning. The worlds, stories, adventures, characters, and possibilities that are made available through books – explicitly math focused and…
- Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade
Series: Focus on the Lesson May 10, 2023
Photo Chat about Quantities Puts the Focus on Units
In this video, preschoolers share the quantities they see when looking at a photo of a box of doughnuts. There are many ways to answer the question, how many of what?, depending on the unit.
- Topic: Number Sense, Data Analysis
- Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st Grade
Series: Ideas at Work February 22, 2023
What is a Number Path and How Does It Build Number Relationships?
Many of children’s favorite board games follow a path to a goal. Exploring a number path with young children also leads to a goal that is critical for early mathematics: understanding number relationships. What is…
- Topic: Number Sense, Counting
- Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st Grade
- Tags Games
Series: Book Ideas September 28, 2022
4 Playful Counting Books That Bring Numbers to Life
Counting books that offer children opportunities to participate bring play into math learning. These books engage children physically, cognitively, and emotionally—making them favorites that children will ask to read again and again.
- Topic: Number Sense
- Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st Grade
- Tags Family Math
Series: Ideas at Work June 6, 2022
How to Use Digital Photos to Build a Mathematical Language Routine for Kids
It turns out that mathematical thinking is developed in conversation with others; asking students “how do you know that?” will reveal a child’s mathematical reasoning skills. The ability to explain one’s thinking is a cognitive…
- Topic: Sets, Number Sense
- Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade
- Tags Number Talks, English Language Learner
Series: Focus on the Child March 22, 2022
Benchmarks of 5 and 10 with Child 39
This child uses the visual arrangement of a ten frame to conceptually subitize quantities into the teen numbers. He recognizes a full row as a unit of 5 and uses that to derive larger numbers…
- Topic: Number Operations
- Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten
- Tags Child 39
Series: Focus on the Child March 22, 2022
Solving a Problem with Both Parts Unknown with Child 39
This child encounters a new type of problem situation: a part-part-whole story where both parts are unknown. He is uncertain how to model the problem at first but has some success with adult support. Focus…
- Topic: Number Operations
- Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten
- Tags Child 39
Series: Focus on the Child March 22, 2022
Solving a Part-Part-Whole Problem with Child 39
This child uses cubes to model a part-part-whole problem where the whole is unknown. He uses a counting all strategy. He counts out each part and then counts them altogether, starting from one. Focus on…
- Topic: Number Operations
- Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten
- Tags Child 39
Series: Focus on Play November 17, 2021
Quantity Cards for Subitizing
Quantity is a particular amount of something, expressed as a number. Quantity cards for young children can have pictures of small sets such as dots, finger patterns, or 5- or 10- frames. The ones we…
- Topic: Number Sense
- Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten
- Tags Play, Games, Family Math, En Español, Subitizing
Series: Focus on the Child May 19, 2021
Why Cardinality is the Goal of Counting
What is cardinality? And how is it related to counting? The common definition of cardinality states that it’s the understanding that the last number word said when counting tells how many in all.
- Topic: Sets, Number Sense, Counting
- Age/Grade Level: Pre-K, Kindergarten
- Tags Cardinality
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