Getting Ready for
Kindergarten
Kindergarten Math Practices and
Strategies to Support Your Child
What Will My Child Be
Learning in Math?
O Number recognition
O Basic arithmetic
O Simple math tasks (problem solving)
O Comparing
O Probability
O Geometry
O Measurement
O Patterns
So….how can I help
my child?
Number Recognition and
Counting
O Counting with your child is one of the single most
beneficial things you can do to help them build strong
number sense.
O Start by counting to 10, then 20, then 50, then on to
100 and up.
O Play around with skip counting (5s, 10s, 2s)
O Count Forward and Backward – turn them into games.
O ESTIMATE – “About how many…..are there?”
O Help your child to identify numbers in their
environment.
O Represent numbers by using objects
O Talk about numbers in terms of: more, less, greater,
equal, about
Geometry Strategies
O Play with Shapes puzzles
O Allow your child to attempt to draw shapes
with multiple tools (marker, pencil, glue and
glitter, tracing)
O Ask your child to name their shapes
O TALK about them: “Hmm…what is the
difference between that square and that
rectangle?”
O Point out shapes in the environment – turn a
shape search into a game!
Measurement Strategies
O Help your child to understand bigger,
smaller, smallest, shorter, heavier, taller, etc.
O Measure with small objects
O Use noodles or paperclips to measure the
length of the table, for example.
Have FUN With Patterns
O Make patterns out of everything: food, toys,
anything!
O TALK about patterns and have them explain it
to you.
O Notice patterns in daily life.
O SORTING
O Have your child sort by size and color and then
create fun, colorful patterns that they can
explain.
O For example, have them help with sorting
laundry, silverware, crayons, etc.
Probability and Statistics
O Art! Simple charts and graphs
O Start using vocabulary: likely, probable,
uncertain, impossible, unlikely, etc.
O Play Board Games! Cards, spinners
O Start a chore or responsibility chart
Helping Your Child’s Success
in MATH
O MAKE MATH MEANINGFUL!
O Point out math in the world around you.
O Grocery Store
O Compare prices
O Allow handling money
O Weigh produce
O Neighborhood
O Count mailboxes, notice patterns
O Make numbers
O Finger paint numbers, write numbers in the sand
(continued….tips)
O Cook/Bake together
O Measuring/talking about the amounts
O Road Trips
O Put a pencil in their hand and keep track of things
(number of cows, lights, signs, etc.)
O Keep a calendar!
O Mark certain days of the week, special dates,
weekends,
O Today, tomorrow, yesterday, two days from now…
(continued…tips)
O Make “missions” for math fun
O Number of doorknobs in 20 seconds
O Find all the circles you can in 5 minutes
O Number of steps in the house
O Number of table legs in the house in 2 minutes
etc.
O Games
O Chutes and Ladders (2009 CMU/Univ. of
Maryland study)
O Trouble, Classic card games, Memory, Dominos, “I
spy a shape”
Build a LOVE of Math
O Set aside your own distaste for Math – they
O
O
O
O
will hate it too (“I’m not a math person.”)
Attitude has EVERYTHING to do with
learning!
You are what you believe.
It doesn’t matter if they are great at it, it
matters if they like it. They WILL improve
with practice.
Daily life/Daily conversation – “See any
good Math today?”