Some of our math goals include:

Working on addition, subtraction (finding the partners of a number), counting to 100, identifying numbers 1-20, identifying shapes-both flat and solid, skip counting by 5s and 10s, sorting, comparing, and measuring.

Fun activities to try at home:

• Count 100 small items (beans, pasta, beads). Make 10 groups of 10 items each and then skip count by 10's to 100.
• Number Search (skills= ordering numerically, number recognition): Go on a search to find things that have numbers on them. For example, can you find something that has a number 3 on it. See if you can find things that have numbers 1 through 10 and line them up in order from left to right. Hint: Items from a grocery store often have different numbers on them. **Variations: find 1-20, 10-20, or find different numbers and put them in order from smallest to biggest even if there are numbers missing.
• Shape Hunt! In kindergarten we learn about flat shapes: Circle, Square, Rectangle, Triangle and Hexagon and solid shapes: Sphere, Cylinder, Cone and Cube. Go on a shape hunt to see how many of a particular shape you can find. Play I spy with my little eye… Make a bar graph using the words for the items that you found. See which shape you found the most of. For example, a rolling pin is a cylinder. You would sound out “rolling pin” to write that word in one column. A ball is a sphere. You would sound out “ball” to write that word in another column and so on… Which shape did you find the most of?
• Numbered shapes collage - Pick a flat shape (circle, square, rectangle, triangle, or hexagon with 6 sides) . Draw a picture of that shape in the middle of a plain paper. Now pick a number that is bigger than 5 and smaller than 20. Cut out, using colored paper if possible, your shape and that matching amount. For example, if you picked a triangle and 14 you would cut out 14 triangle shapes and glue them on the paper. Remember, triangles can be different sizes and shapes and colors. They just need to have 3 sides. After that you can number your cutouts by labeling them with a number. In this example you would label each triangle from 1 to 14 and create a triangle picture!
• Turnovers- Objective: To recognize that the order of the numbers being added does not affect the total. Materials: Clothespins or paper clips, 6x8 cards or something similar. Put 4 clothespins along one side of the card and three clothespins along the opposite side. Have your child write the number sentence that tells how many clothespins there are in all. Make sure to write the number of clothespins on the left side first. (4+3=7). Then turn the card over and the child writes the number sentence that tells how many there are now. (3+4=7). Write the second number sentence just below the first. Ask: Is the total number of clothespins the same for the turnover? (yes) What changes? (The number which is on the left or right) Repeat with several more examples and conclude that it doesn’t matter which number of clothespins is added first. Variation: Have number sentences already written and have your child build it with clothespins.
• Marble Factory- Objective: Adding or subtracting to make a named number Materials: Marbles or any other small objects & baggies

Put between 2 and nine marbles in each of several bags and label each bag with a number greater or less than the number of marbles in the bag. Tell your child to pretend they are working in a marble factory. Each bag has a label that shows how many marbles are supposed to be in the bag. Their job is to make sure the correct number of marbles is in each bag.

Start by demonstrating and asking if marbles need to be added or taken away so the amount matches the label. Show how many marbles there are with fingers and then count on or take away to get to the label number. Then add or take away marbles from the bag. Count the marbles again to double check.

Future variation: Draw simple shapes on a paper. Label the paper with a number greater or less than the number of shapes shown. Then have your child decide whether they need to add or subtract to make the correct number. If they must add, then have them draw the shapes needed. If they must subtract, they should cross out the shapes not needed.

• Make a Snake - Objective: To create an object of a given length

Materials: Clay or playdough and other small items such as paper clips, unifix cubes, popsicle sticks, toothpicks, bottle caps, straws, beans, etc.

Start by practicing to make “snakes” with the clay--rolling it out thin between your hands. Show one popsicle stick and ask your child to make a clay snake about as long as the popsicle stick. Have them compare their snake with the popsicle stick to see if they made it shorter or longer. You can also try making a snake as long as 3 toothpicks, as long as 12 paper clips, shorter than one straw, and between 7 and 8 paper clips long. Think up your own ideas to make a snake the same as, longer than, or shorter than!

• Down the Crooked Road - Objective: To measure lengths that are not straight with non standard units

Materials: 8 twist ties and more if possible

Give your child 4 twist ties and tell them to make a road by attaching them end to end. You make a twist tie road also with 4 twist ties Then have them lay out theirs as a straight road and ask your child how many twist ties long it is. Then have your child close their eyes. You lay out your road as a crooked one next to their straight one. Have your child open their eyes and compare the two roads. Then ask them: If you walk on the straight one and your friend walks on the crooked one, who would take the most steps? Why do you think so?Count aloud the number of twist ties in each. Notice if your child continues to believe the crooked one is shorter than the straight one. Have them straighten out the crooked road to see that it matches the straight one in length.

Repeat the activity in a different way. Have your child close their eyes as you build another straight road and curved road. Make the straight road shorter than the curved road. When your child opens their eyes, ask them which road they think is longer. Have them count twist ties to verify. If necessary, you can also straighten out the twist ties to show that the curved road is longer.

Make several roads in advance using different numbers of twist ties. Tape them onto a paper--with some curved and some straight. Have your child count and write how many twist ties were used for each. Then have your child predict and arrange them from longest to shortest.

• Ten’s The Limit- Objective: To record tens and ones

Materials: Small paper cups or candy cups, dried beans or other small items to count, several copies of the place value mat: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Place-Value-Placemats-FREE-534020

Give your child a large handful of beans to count. Provide some small cups each labeled with the word “ten”. Tell your child that whenever they count out ten beans they should put them in a cup. Ten is the limit in each cup. Then ask:

How many cups did they make?

How many single beans or extras did they have left?

Show your child one of the place value mats and show them how to place their cups of ten on the “tens” side and their extras on the “ones” side.

Ask again: How many tens they have and how many extrta ones they have? Show your child how to write the number of tens and ones on the mat. Then ask how many beans in all. In other words, read the number that is now written.

Have your child repeat this activity many times. Have them take a scoopful of beans, separate them into tens and ones and record the total amount on the place value mat.

As an extension you can ask your child to then count by tens and count on the extras to see if the number they count matches the written number. You can also ask them to count by ones to see if the number they count to matches the written number.

See link #17 below for more place value information.

Math Links:

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8CEOlAOGas&t=3s Count by 10's - Jack Hartmann

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ch7KzI3n2Zk Math Songs for Kids- Number Pairs 10- Jack Hartmann

3. 17 Kindergarten Math Games That Make Numbers Fun from Day One

4. https://www.coffeecupsandcrayons.com › kindergarten-active-math-games

5. 27 Creative Ways to Teach 2D Shapes – KindergartenWorks

6. https://www.youtube.com › watch 3D Shapes Song

7. https://www.weareteachers.com/active-math-games ***22 Active Math Games

8. https://www.education.com/game/fish-tangram/ Fish Tangram Challenge

9. https://www.education.com/math-month/?week=week4&grade=kindergarten Building Numbers Pizza-Party Game

10. https://www.homeschoolmath.net/teaching/kindergarten.php Kindergarten Math Objectives, Goals, and Games

11. https://kindermomma.com/6-tips-on-how-to-teach-addition-and-subtraction-in-kindergarten/ Tips on teaching addition and subtraction

12. https://www.mathgames.com/kindergarten Math Games

13. https://www.kindergartenkindergarten.com/measurement/ Exploring Capacity

14. http://kteachertiff.com/2015/03/kindergarten-measurement-activities.html Measurement Activities

15. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_97AO2SkGU Comparing Measurements

16. https://www.weareteachers.com/place-value-activities/ Place Value Activities

17. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGgLPEdu2EA Beginning Place Value

18. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cg-Uc556-Q 3D Shapes