What Does Math Look Like In Kindergarten?

Using books to introduce and
reinforce math concepts

Kindergarten math can certainly be seen during scheduled math lessons with our math specialist Jeanne and the kindergarten teachers. Our Math In Focus curriculum uses a concrete-pictorial-abstract model to teach math skills with an emphasis on problem solving. The children are listening to math stories, acting out concepts, and using workbooks to demonstrate their understanding. The children love their scheduled math time- be sure to ask your child to sing you the "Beaver Song" that Jeanne taught the class!

Of course, math is seen and incorporated throughout the course of the school day beyond the Math In Focus lessons. Math is everywhere in kindergarten! Below are just a few of the activities that support our budding kindergarten mathematicians:

• Calendar work reinforces building patterns and developing number sense, introduces the concept of place value, and introduces counting by 5's when counting the days of school with a 100 hundreds chart.

Tens frames and a one
hundreds chart

Counting the days of school and looking at
place value, number order and patterns during calendar work

• Math provides a myriad of opportunities to work with a partner to have fun and strengthen new math skills and the important social tasks of collaboration, compromise and problem solving. Games such as Dice Race Game and Shut the Box quickly become well-loved partner games.

                

                      Working with a partner to
                        play the Dice Race Game-
                          "Not that number again!"

 

Sharing final results of 
the Dice Race Game

Creating a bar graph to indicate
 favorite tastes during a 5 senses lesson

• Math is also found throughout the curriculum as we have looked at the five senses and created a bar graph and recorded on data sheets.
• Our emerging human body study and the foods that keep us healthy will undoubtedly support continued math exploration as we measure, weigh, bake and cook in the upcoming weeks!