February 9, 2024
|
Save & Share:

Ready to get started with kindergarten addition? We will take you through the essentials with simple and effective strategies. Plus you’ll also get access to many free addition for kidnergarten worksheets, games, and activities.

Ready to get started with kindergarten addition? We will take you through the essentials with simple and effective strategies. Plus you'll also get access to many free addition for kidnergarten worksheets, games, and activities.

Addition for kindergarten

Ready to get started with kindergarten addition? This post will take you through the essentials with simple and effective strategies to help you teach addition at the Kindergarten level. Plus, we’re sharing links to many free resources because who doesn’t love a helping hand? Let’s make kindergarten addition a fun and enriching experience for our students!

Before You Start Kindergarten Addition

Before jumping into addition, your kindergarteners must master some basic math skills. Without these fundamentals, tackling addition will be a real struggle. Building a solid foundation is crucial as we want to set our students up for success, right? So, let’s quickly check what they need to know first to get ready to start with addition!

Ready to get started with kindergarten addition? We will take you through the essentials with simple and effective strategies. You'll also get access to many free addition worksheets, games, and activities.

Well Developed Number Sense

What is number sense?

Number sense is knowing how numbers work and fit together. It’s not just about counting but understanding how big or small numbers are, seeing patterns, and being able to play around with numbers.

With good number sense, kids can

  • Understand the idea of quantity.Grasp the meaning of words like larger/smaller or more/lessPut the numbers in a list orderUnderstanding that numerals represent quantitiesThey can compare two numbers and identify 5 as less than 8Recognizing that there is a relationship between one unit and groups of units. For example, the number 10 is a group of 10 units.

How Do Kids Develop Number Sense?

  • Counting Games: Engage in counting activities and games to reinforce the concept of numbers.
  • Use Manipulatives: Utilize physical objects like blocks or toys for hands-on learning and one-to-one counting.
  • Sorting and Ordering: Practice sorting and ordering activities to reinforce the sequence and relationships between numbers.
  • Math Songs and Rhymes: Incorporate catchy songs and rhymes that involve counting to make learning enjoyable.
  • Everyday Math: Integrate math into daily routines by counting everyday items or identifying numbers in the environment.
  • Number Recognition Games: Play games involving recognizing and identifying numbers to enhance familiarity.
  • Reading and Writing Numerals: Introduce activities that involve reading and writing numerals to reinforce the association between the written symbol and the quantity it represents.

Number Sense Activities

Fun, hands on math activity for kindergartners for thanksgiving theme using marshmallows, dry erase markers, and playdough

An Understanding of One-To-One Correspondence

What is One-To-One Correspondence?

One-to-one correspondence is a fundamental skill foundational to counting and numerical understanding.

As children develop this skill, they learn the concept of one as a unit and match it with individual objects.

One-to-one correspondence is not just about rote memorization. It involves developing a concrete understanding of numbers and their relationship to physical objects.

Children can learn to count to 10 by rote. Still, they must come to an understanding of what these numbers actually represent before they can start using them in addition.

How do you develop One-To-One Correspondence?

  • Counting Objects: Engage in activities where children count physical objects one at a time.
  • Use Manipulatives: Utilize items like counters or toys for hands-on, one-to-one counting. Move each item as you count it.
  • Pointing and Counting Aloud: Encourage children to point to each item as they count aloud, reinforcing the correspondence.
  • Daily Counting Routines: Incorporate counting into daily activities, like counting steps while walking or items on the breakfast table.
  • Number Recognition: Connect numerals with counted objects, reinforcing that each number corresponds to a specific item.

1:1 Correspondence Activities

Resources To Help Build a Solid Foundation

Number sense and one-to-one correspondence take a lot of time and practice to develop. Still, it is crucial to build that foundation before you move on to addition. We can’t emphasize this enough. We want to set our students up for success, and we can’t do that until they are ready.

Here are some free activities and printables to help

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

Watch Out For Learning Disabilities

Keep an eye out for the mathematical learning disability Dyscalculia. Children with this disability will struggle with number sense and counting. It is estimated that 4-6% of children have this disability, and many go undiagnosed. If students fall behind their peers and struggle despite extra help and practice, get them tested. Learn more about this learning disability.

At its core, addition involves understanding that individual items can be combined to form groups, representing a larger quantity. These smaller groups can be combined to form even larger sums.

Kindergarten Addition

How To Teach Kindergarten Addition

At its core, addition involves understanding that individual items can be combined to form groups, representing a larger quantity. These smaller groups can be combined to form even larger sums.

It sounds simple, but it takes lots of practice for our concrete learners to grasp this idea. Let’s look at some strategies for building those connections in their brain and developing their understanding.

Using Models to Represent Addition

At this stage of development, our students benefit significantly from experiencing and visualizing the addition processes. These visual representations make abstract mathematical concepts more tangible for young learners. In the next section, we will look at some of these tools and explain how they are used.

In early mathematical learning, manipulatives are pivotal in fostering students' deep understanding of numbers.

Using Manipulatives

In early mathematical learning, manipulatives are pivotal in fostering students’ deep understanding of numbers.

These tangible items range from counting cubes to pompoms to mini erasers. Students need a lot of hands-on experience as they explore mathematical concepts, and that’s what manipulatives provide.

Check out this giant list of manipulatives.

The versatility of manipulatives allows for a personalized approach to teaching addition, as you can choose items that reflect the season or theme.

Free Kindergarten Addition Activities With Manipulatives

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

number lines

Number Lines in Kindergarten Addition

Number lines are a helpful visual tool for this age group. They are basically straight lines marked with numbers in order. Number lines are particularly useful for learning addition as they clearly represent the number sequences and the relationships between numbers.

As they move along the number line, students can visualize the process of adding numbers. Here are some big ideas that students can learn with number lines.

    1. Recognizing that each step to the right corresponds to adding 1 more helps build an understanding of addition.

    1. Number lines are also helpful when teaching the children to count on. Counting on in mathematics is a technique we use for addition. It involves beginning with the larger number and then adding the other addends to reach the final sum.

Let’s look at the equation 7+2 as an example. We do not need to count up to 7 first. We start at 7 and count on 2 to get 9. Number lines make this work really easy.

  • Number lines are an easy way to show that changing the order of the addends doesn’t change the result. For example,
  • 3 + 2 = 5.
  • 2 +3 also = 5

  •  

Initial experiences with number lines might include jumping on a floor-sized number line or moving a cube or counter along a desk-sized number strip.

Free Addition Activities With Number Lines

pictures, manipulatives and number lines

Addition Using and Drawing Pictures

Using images as a teaching tool for addition is a valuable way to bridge the gap between physical manipulatives and numbers. Students can still see and point to the objects in the picture and count them.

They can also draw their own pictures to solve addition problems. Drawing and counting out the objects allows the children to gradually understand numbers and how addition works. This approach facilitates comprehension and makes math more engaging and accessible for learners.

Free Kindergarten Addition Activities With Pictures

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

Using Ten-Frames In Kindergarten Addition

Ten frames are a helpful visual tool in early math education, consisting of a rectangular frame with spaces for ten items.

These frames act as a structured guide for representing numbers and quantities. The benefits of using ten frames lie in their simplicity and effectiveness.

They provide a clear visual representation of numbers up to ten, aiding students in developing number sense and understanding the concept of place value.

Additionally, ten frames serve as a versatile resource for teaching addition. Students can place manipulatives on the ten frames or mark dots to do simple additions up to 10.

Students could also place manipulatives in sections of a ten-frame template and count to see how many more might be needed to make ten. Ten-frames create an effective visual for the addition process and provide repeated practice with facts that make ten, knowledge of which is a critical step in achieving math fact mastery.

Free Ten-Frame Activities

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

Using Number Charts to Represent Addition

When learning kindergarten addition, a number chart is a handy tool to help see how addition works. Students can put counters on numbers or circle them as they figure out different numbers to add.

Starting with a twenty chart is recommended as it limits the number of examined numbers, providing students a manageable and focused learning experience.

As students progress, you can move to 50 and then 100 charts.

Free Number Charts

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

Exploring the Concepts of Kindergarten Addition Through Games

Incorporating games and math centers into the learning processof kindergarten addition is an effective and enjoyable way for students to practice. Math centers provide hands-on experiences, allowing children to explore concepts in a more interactive and dynamic environment. These activities promote a deeper understanding of mathematical principles through play. This approach reinforces learning and encourages a love for mathematics from an early age.

Free Kindergarten Addition Games

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

Explore effective strategies for teaching kindergarten addition. We've also provided dozens of printables to make planning easy.

Free Kindergarten Addition Worksheets

Worksheets can be a helpful tool whwen practicing kindergarten addition. You want to keep the worksheets engaging, fun, and interactive at this stage. Here are some you can use.

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

  •  

Watch The Level Of Understanding

As we teach addition, monitoring the student’s level of understanding is essential. If they’re having trouble with something, it is time to look closer.

What are they struggling with? It is usually in the transitions. For example, moving from manipulatives to number lines or using numbers only. Often, our student just needs some extra practice to build the connections in their brains. Let them practice more at the previous stage until they understand. We want to make sure that they understand each step of addition really well.

We hope the simple strategies we shared will help you with kindergarten addition. Now you know the basic math skills kids need before tackling addition, some simple techniques for teaching it, and access to free resources. It is time to start downloading some of those freebies and planning. Why not pin this post so you can come back to it often?

Save & Share:

Sharon is the proud mom of three grown boys, a trained educator, and former children librarian. She draws on her years of experience as a parent and teacher to help parents to make the most of the time they have with their kids. You find her posts on rediscoveredfamiles.com

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.