Kindergarten – Math Skills and Concepts to teach!

Yesterday, I shared the Language Arts skills and concepts that should be taught to Kindergarten students . Now, let’s review the typical Math skills and concepts that are covered in Kindergarten:

Understands that numbers represent quantity and uses them to do so.
Counts and writes numbers, from 1-20 (and potentially higher).
Counts out and compare quantities, usually up to 20.
Counts out and groups objects in order to solve single-digit addition and subtraction problems.
Begins to recognize and understand the meaning of the plus and minus signs.
Uses drawings, objects, actions and sounds to represent and practice addition and subtraction.
Practices beginning measurement and graphing skills, often through the creation of class-wide graphs, such as graphing favorite snacks, or how kids get to school.
Learns about and begin to count to 100, specifically through a tallying of the days of school and a celebration on the 100th day of school. (Many but not all kindergarten classes do something like this).
Creates patterns.

NUMBER SENSE & OPERATIONS
– Model, count, read, write, and compare cardinal numbers to 100.
– Estimate quantities
– Create and model simple addition (sums to 10) and subtraction stories using concrete objects and drawings.
– Model and demonstrate an understanding of the concept of whole and half
– Matching quantities to numbers
PATTERNS, RELATIONS & ALGEBRA
– Reproduce, describe, extend, and create patterns.
– Count by 5’s and 10’s to at least 50.
– Sort and classify objects by color, shape, and size; identify attributes.
GEOMETRY
– Identify positions of objects in space (e.g. next to – above – below – on top)
– Name, describe, sort, & draw squares, circles, triangles & rectangles; describe attributes.
– Name and compare 3-dimensional shapes.
MEASUREMENT
– Use non-standard units and appropriate language to recognize, measure, and compare length, weight, area, and capacity.
– Demonstrate a beginning understanding of the concept of time (e.g. duration)
– Identify coins (pennies, nickels, dimes, quarter)
DATA ANALYSIS, PROBABILITY, & STATISTICS
– Collect and organize data in lists, simple graphs, and tally charts.
– Demonstrate a beginning understanding of the concept of chance (e.g. heads/tails, spinner parts)

Here are suggested products to master the above Math skills that you can find on My Teaching Library…

Recommended Workbooks:

Additional recommended products to master skills:

Fun holiday and seasonal products:

The above products are not the only Kindergarten Math products available on MTL – Just suggested ones to cover and master needed skills!

Here are also some fun sample activities to do with them…

Cook with Patterns: Patterns can be used in lots of cooking. Make patterns with cereal necklaces, decorate cookies, make layered sandwiches with bread or crackers or make simple patterns using your child’s favorite colored candies.
Tell Math Stories: Use objects or even yourselves to practice addition and subtraction. If you have a bowl of 5 apples, ask your child to help figure out how many you will have left if you take away 3.
Build Things: Use blocks, Legos or any other building toys to construct houses, towers, vehicles etc. As your child builds, ask him to count pieces, create patterns, and talk about the shapes.
Take a Poll: Ask family members a question and create a graph of the answers using numbers and pictures.
Find the Sizes in Nature: Go outside and collect things in nature such as leaves, stones and pine cones. After you’ve collected things, count how many things you found and then talk about their sizes, which are larger, smaller and the largest and smallest. You can even add together objects that are the same (for example, all of the leaves).