Numbers activity for kindergarten

Kindergarten Math Games That Make Learning Fun from the Start

Looking for ways to make math fun for young learners? Check out these kindergarten math games! They teach all the basic math skills kindergartners need to master and are sure to engage every kid in the learning process.

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1. Conquer cardinality with penguin dominoes

Kindergarten math students work to master cardinality, understanding that written numerals correspond to the number of items pictured. These free printable penguin dominoes make the concept fun to practice.

Learn more: Playdough to Plato

2. Put together puzzles to gain number sense

Kindergarten math students learn to understand that numbers can be represented in a variety of ways. These free printable puzzles help them practice those skills.

Learn more: Tickled Pink in Primary

3.

Play teen-number bingo

This free printable game helps little ones master their numbers from 11 to 20, both as numerals and represented on ten-frames.

Learn more: The Measured Mom

4. Stack cups and count to 100

Kids love stacking things, so they’ll get a kick out of kindergarten math games that make use of stackable cups. This one has them doing it with 100 cups while they count! Turn it into a competition by putting them in teams and timing them to see who can finish the task the fastest.

Learn more: Kindergarten Smorgasboard/100 Cups

5. Visit the skip-counting store

How fun is this? Grab some toys and label them with price tags in increments of 10 cents. Give kids a handful of plastic dimes, and have them count out the amount needed for each “purchase.”

Learn more: Creative Family Fun/Skip Counting Store

6. Have a rubber duck race

In this game, kids race to see who can be the first to get their rubber duckies to 10 (or any number you choose). They roll a die and lay out tiles to move their duck. The twist? To get to 10 at the end, they must roll the exact number they need—no going over! Kindergarten math games like this one are terrific for practicing counting on, basic addition, and making 10.

Learn more: Happy Toddler Playtime

7. Practice counting on with cards and dice

Remove the face cards from a deck of playing cards and grab a pair of dice. The first player turns over a card and then rolls the dice. The number on the dice indicates how far they “count on” from the card. (For example, a player turns over a three and rolls a four. They say, “Three: four, five, six, seven.”) If the player gets it right, they keep the card, and the other player(s) get a turn.

Learn more: Creative Family Fun/Counting On

8. Skip-count with craft sticks

There are endless ways to use craft sticks in the classroom. For this game, number a series of colorful sticks by fives, as shown. Kids can practice by putting them in order first. Then, have a student draw a stick and count on by fives from that number to 100—if they draw 75, they then count 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100. If they get it right, they keep the stick, and the next player takes a turn.

Learn more: Simply Kinder

9. Match teen numbers

Once they’ve mastered the numbers 1 to 10, it’s time to understand how those numerals add up to make bigger numbers. These free printable cards show numerals and matching bundles of sticks that deconstruct each teen number into tens and ones.

Learn more: The Kindergarten Connection

10. Compare numbers with dominoes

Kindergartners learn to compare numbers to determine which is larger and which smaller. Stacking math cubes based on the numbers on dominoes is a fun, hands-on way to compare the two numbers side by side, making it easier to see the difference.

Learn more: My Fabulous Class

11. Face off and compare numbers

You’ll need some small toys for this game, as well as polyhedral dice. Kids roll and place the number of items on their side. Then, they compare the two to see which is bigger.

Learn more: Natalie Lynn Kindergarten

12. Make 10 with two-sided chips

You’ll need counting chips that are a different color on each side for this activity. Kids shake up 10 chips in a cup and pour them out on the table. Then they see how many they have of each color and write that number bond to make 10.

Learn more: First Grade Fairytales

13. Throw snowballs to make 10

Make “snowballs” from paper (or any way you like), then place them in a bucket at one end of the room. Start kids out by having them toss snowballs into another bucket until they reach 10 (or any target number). Then, up the challenge by placing some snowballs in each bucket and have kids figure out how many more they need to toss in to make 10.

Learn more: Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls—Snowball Math Games

14. Use Uno cards to play addition war

In the card game War, players each flip an Uno card, and the one whose card is greatest takes them both. In this twist on one of our favorite kindergarten games, players each flip two cards. They then use counting blocks to represent the numbers and count on or add to find the sum. The largest sum wins the hand, and play continues.

Learn more: Planning Playtime—Addition Game

15. Roll and add for fluency within 5

Kindergarten math students work to become fluent in adding and subtracting within 5. This free printable board game makes it fun!

Learn more: Liz’s Early Learning Spot

16. Get four in a row and learn place value

This customizable game helps teach the early place-value concept of tens plus ones. Get it for free at the link.

Learn more: Two Boys and a Dad

17. Bowl and subtract within 10

Set up a toy bowling pin set (or make one from plastic bottles or toilet-paper tubes). Kids bowl and see how many pins they knock down, subtracting that number from 10. Then they repeat, this time subtracting from the previous answer. First to get to zero wins!

Learn more: Planning Playtime—Subtraction Worksheets

18. Get off my boat!

So simple, so engaging, so fun! Use tape to outline a boat shape on the floor (or try this outside with sidewalk chalk). Let some kids board the “boat,” then make some get off. Use those numbers to write a subtraction number sentence and solve the equation!

Learn more: Kindergarten Smorgasboard—Get Off My Boat!

19. Drive and compare numbers to music

Prep for this game by using dot markers on paper plates as shown (visit the link below for more examples). Each kid takes a plate then uses it to “drive” around the room as you play music. When the music stops, they find a nearby partner and compare what they see on each other’s plates (e.g., “8 dots is more than 4 dots. 1 green dot is less than 4 green dots.” Then start the music up and repeat!

20. Build a weigh station

Use a hanger and plastic cups to build a super-simple weigh station. Kids will love dropping items into the cups to see which weighs more or less. Turn it into a game by having them try to guess which object weighs more first or how many of one item equals another.

21. Battle it out in ribbon war

Looking for kindergarten math games that teach non-standard measurement? This idea is fun and easy. Cut colorful ribbons into a variety of lengths and place them in a bag. Each student pulls a ribbon from the bag. Then, put students in pairs and have them compare their ribbons to identify the longer one. The student with the longer ribbon keeps both, and the game continues.

22. Hold a shape scavenger hunt

Kindergarten math students are learning to recognize shapes in their environment and also to categorize and sort. This scavenger hunt does it all! Send them out to find objects in the room that match the shapes. Then count and compare to see how many you have in each category.

Learn more: Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls—Shape Scavenger Hunt

23.

Hop along a shapes maze

Use sidewalk chalk to lay out a shape maze on the playground or driveway. Choose a shape and hop from one to the next, or call out a different shape for every jump!

Learn more: Creative Family Fun—Shape Maze

24. Make a match to learn shapes

Grab these free printable memory cards at the link. Then play and learn the basic shapes.

Learn more: Life Over C’s

25. Guess the mystery shapes

Work on geometry terms like “sides” and “vertices” when you sort shapes using these attributes. Start by placing 3D shapes into paper bags and asking students questions like “The shape in this bag has 4 sides. What could it be?”

Learn more: Susan Jones Teaching

Love these kindergarten math games? You’ll also enjoy these 50 Kindergarten Math Word Problems of the Day!

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Hands-On Counting Activities for Kindergarten

May 15, 2022 misskindergarten Leave a Comment

Kindergarten teachers know that learning how to count is more than just reciting numbers in order. Students need to understand the meaning behind the numbers they are saying! This helps our young learners build a foundation for future math skills such as addition and subtraction. My favorite way to help students practice one-to-one correspondence is with hands-on counting activities. Keep reading for ten of my favorites!

10 Hands-On Counting Activities for Kindergarten

1. Ten Frame

One of the best ways to help students with one-to-one correspondence is to use a ten frame. This helps students keep track of the items as they count as they put one item in each box of the frame. (My students love using mini erasers and stickers!) Plus, introducing students to ten frames will help them prepare for future math concepts and investigations.

2. Play Dough

I love to use play dough during math lessons because it’s a great way to incorporate some engaging fine motor practice. To use play dough as a hands-on counting activity, you can have students pinch and roll small balls and place them in a row or on a ten frame (I like to use these play dough mats). Students can then squash each ball of play dough as they count them. This is a fun way to help students practice accurate counting and one-to-one correspondence!

3. Bingo Daubers

Bingo daubers are always a hit in the kindergarten classroom, so they’re a great option for counting practice! Students can use daubers to represent a particular number on a piece of paper. For example, they will create eight dots on their paper for the number eight. My personal favorite, though, are count and dab activities! Students count a number of objects and then dab the correct answer on the worksheet. Count and dab activities are perfect for math centers!

4. Number Lines

It’s important for our young learners to get familiar with number lines for future math skills, so I always like to use number lines as a hands-on activity. Counting on a number line is another helpful way for students to visualize the quantities of a given number. Students can practice showing the number of “jumps” it takes to get to each number.

5. Task Cards

There are countless ways that you can use task cards to help students practice one-to-one correspondence and counting. These simple, hands-on activities can be incorporated into the classroom at various points of the school day, such as centers, small group instruction, interventions, or even morning work! You can also use them to incorporate counting into other areas of the math curriculum, such as counting the vertices and sides of 2D shapes! If you’d like to read more about how I use math task cards in the classroom, check out this post.

6. Counting Games

A fun way to practice counting and one-to-one correspondence is with board games! Students are able to practice navigating the board as they count the correct number of spaces. However, you can also turn task cards into fun and engaging counting games! For example, this monster counting freebie can be used as a counting game if you turn the task cards face-down on the table and have students take turns selecting a monster. After choosing a card, they place the correct number of googly eyes on their monster as they count. Something as simple as having students choose their task cards from a face-down pile can bring a lot of engagement to math practice!

7. Count and Reveal

In addition to task cards, count and reveal activities are another hands-on math center idea. This self-correcting activity is perfect for students to practice one-to-one correspondence and counting. After counting the number of objects shown on the cards, students say the number and then lift the flap to see if they are correct. The addition of the clothes pins to this activity means that students are strengthening their fine motor skills, as well!

8. Roll and Cover

Roll and cover activities are a fun way for students to practice counting. After rolling dice, students can count the number of dots on the dice and then cover the corresponding number on their roll and cover mats. The game continues until they have covered each number. This is a very effective way to fit in a lot of counting repetition because students love to play this game over and over!

9. Printable Number Books

One of the best reasons to use printable books in kindergarten is that students love to share their creations with friends and family. Encouraging our students to talk about what they work on in school is a great way to solidify what they’ve been learning. After practicing the number concepts as they create these little number books, students will often talk about these same concepts when they take the books home to family. This is a great way to encourage students to continue to count and talk about numbers!

10. Morning Work Tubs

If you use morning work tubs in your classroom, be sure to add hands-on counting activities to your morning routine! Students will be able to get more practice with one-to-one correspondence as they ease into a day of learning. Counting tasks are perfect for morning work because students are usually able to complete these tasks independently. Check out this post for my favorite math ideas for morning work tubs!

Number Practice for Kindergarten

To save you some time and money, I have created a bundle of numbers centers and numbers printables that will help you add variety to your counting practice! This bundle is full of hands-on fine motor activities, low-prep printables, no-prep worksheets, and even technology. You can find this bundle in my shop if you’d like to see everything that’s included!

Save These Hands-On Counting Activities

Short on time? Be sure to save this post to your favorite math board on Pinterest. You’ll be able to refer back to this post any time you’re looking for some fun counting activities for kindergarten!

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Number Formation Posters

Make learning numbers fun with these poems to teach the correct number formation.

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Hello, I’m Hadar

Welcome to Miss Kindergarten. I’m so happy you’re here!

If you are looking for hands-on, engaging kindergarten activities, you came to the right place! I’m here to save you time by sharing tried and true kindergarten resources, and hopefully spark some ideas for your own kindergarten lesson plans!

Whether you need ideas to teach reading, sight words, math, or even some fun crafts, I have you covered. My ultimate goal is to help passionate educators and parents to young kids gain their valuable time back!

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fun and interesting tasks for classes

The emphasis in modern education of preschoolers is on developing education. Math classes are no exception. The formation of elementary mathematical concepts develops personality, intellect, forms logic and abstract thinking. It sharpens attention and memory, develops speech and contributes to the most comfortable integration of the baby into the outside world. Fun math for children 3-4 years old will help develop such qualities as curiosity, achievement of goals, discipline. Introduces spatial and temporal logic.

What mathematics teaches kids 3-4 years old

Every educated parent wants to understand how well his child is developed. Does it miss any skills that are important in the modern world, what should be emphasized. In order to adequately assess the knowledge and skills of children, you need to know what the current education system requires of them.

Mathematics for three-year-olds

Mathematics at 3 years old in kindergarten is not difficult. Children should:

Learn to work with numbers up to five. This is both ordinal and reverse counting.
Understand what a number consists of (for example, 5 is 4+1).
When counting, use fingers, counting sticks, and other available items.
Correctly use the names of ordinal numbers, as well as cardinal numbers in the names of numbers.
Recognize written numbers, be able to write them yourself.
Name the number that comes before the given one, as well as after.
Use the terms "more", "less", "the same". Clearly understand the difference between them.
Master orientation in space (for example, show on a sheet of notebook where the lines are above and where below, which are left, right, between them, which is in the center, which is above, which is below).

Children must distinguish between objects.

By size:

Large - more.
Small - less.
Short - shorter.
Long - Longer.
High - higher.
Low - lower.
Wide - wider.
Narrow - narrower.

Math lessons

Geometrical form:

square;
circle;
triangle;
rectangle.

Must find these figures and be able to draw them, name the geometric shape of the surrounding objects. Learn to identify their color. Distinguish between a circle and a sphere, a square and a cube.

Counting and numbering

The task of the teacher is to understand whether the children understand the ultimate goal of counting, why they do it.

Mathematics for kids aged 3-4 has its own characteristics. Their attention must be directed to the study of a serious subject. For this, all kinds of auxiliary materials, presentations are used.

Studying figures in preschool educational institution

Fairy tales, toys, cubes, pictures (characters from fairy tales and cartoons printed on a color printer will be an excellent handout), lapbooks will also come in handy. They are easy enough to make yourself.

Children should learn the names of numbers. But often they do not project this knowledge onto something that concerns themselves. For example, a child knows the ordinal count very well, but cannot count his fingers. He just doesn't connect the two.

Important! The task of the teacher is not only to give the concept of numbering and counting, but also to connect these things with the real world in the mind of the child.

Math exercises

Additional material required for math class. DOW recommends "Player" L. G. Peterson. This manual is aimed at using in mathematics lessons at 3 years old in kindergarten. These notebooks can be purchased online. It is also recommended to use the technique of E. V. Kolesnikova.

Flashcards

Math for a 3 year old starts with pictures. Five cards are made with the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

You need to prepare pictures of the same color, but different objects. For example:

Blue - car, balloon, flower, umbrella, etc. (all the same color).
Red - car, ball, pencil, umbrella, etc.
Yellow - car, ball, ball, spoon, etc.
Green - car, ball, flower, umbrella, etc. .
Black - car, ball, pencil, umbrella, etc.
White - car, ball, flower, umbrella, hare, etc.

This is how the working presenter will assemble to study the initial count. Items in the pictures should be of different sizes.

Quests:

Find all red cards. Find and name each picture.
Find all yellow cards. Find and name each picture.
Find all blue cards. Find and name each picture.
Find all green cards. Find and name each picture.
Find all black cards. Find and name each picture.
Find all white cards. Find and name each picture.

After the children have completed the task, you can move on to the next step.

Further tasks become more difficult. You need to select all the cards where the car is drawn. All cards where the ball is drawn.

Please note! The presence of different colors is very confusing for children at first.

More-less comparison

Mathematics for a 3-year-old child, which takes place in preschool, includes the study of comparisons. The concept of "more" and "less" is explained to children. A set of cards from previous lessons is used:

Find all cards with a ball drawn. Then find all the cards where the umbrella is drawn. Compare number of cards. Find out which drawings are more.
Find all flower cards. Then find all the cards with the drawn car. Find which pictures are smaller.

For clarity, you can put together a picture with a car and a flower. Which pictures will remain without a pair, those and more. Which ended earlier, those and less.

Exploring the concept of "The Same"

At the beginning of the lesson (if someone is celebrating their fourth birthday) the parents of the birthday boy brought a cake and sweets. How to determine how much sweets each child needs without using numbers? The children make their suggestions.

The term "the same" is introduced. The children practice in fixing the new word. Problems with similar terms are solved:

also;
equal amount;
is the same.

About finger counting

At the first stage of learning to count on fingers, you need to firmly master all possible combinations. The child should not think about the answer within one hand.

Mindfulness and memory develop, including tactile memory, because the counting takes place in the head. You have to keep several data in memory at the same time. A quick decision depends on quick wit and speed of perception.

The child counts on the fingers

Before learning to count on the fingers, the child is already familiar with the concepts of "more", "less", "also". Can count items in order up to five.

Start with 1+1=2. Children put two fingers together and get 2.
Then they add another finger = 3.
Add one more to three and get the fourth result (four).
Add one more finger to four and get five.

Now subtraction is mastered:

Subtract one finger from five and it becomes four.
Subtract one finger from four and it becomes three.
If one finger is taken away from three, there are two left.
Subtract one finger from two and one will remain.

Lesson should not exceed 20 minutes. Children get tired quickly. You can diversify the lesson by changing activities - warming up, singing something, solving riddles, and so on.

Important! Cannot be forced. It is always easier to "lure" somewhere than to force. The elements of play, competition and rewards will do more and better than anything else.

Counting on objects in parallel with mental counting

Having learned to call numbers correctly, children still do not quite understand what it really means. For understanding, binding to reality, tangible objects are needed that can be picked up or touched. A visual assistant for the children's brain is needed.

Handouts carry the function of tactile and visual perception of the subject of study. Used and purchased inventory, and made independently. Suitable cards with drawings of animals, cubes (preferably different colors, but the same size), all kinds of sticks, tubes, balls. The main requirement for inventory in the lesson will be a unifying characteristic (one or two).

The use of cubes in counting

There are several examples of use:

Find the same drawings on the distributed cards and count them.
Find objects of the same color and count how many of them.
Select pets in the pictures and name their number.
Select wild animals and say how many there are in total.

Important! During the assignment, all numbers are spoken aloud to better consolidate the material.

You can complicate the task:

Spread numbered cards on the floor. Flip one over. The task of the students is to determine which number is missing.
Name the "neighbors" of this figure.
Remove two number cards and offer to find the missing numbers. Count in order from one to five and find the missing numbers.

There are a lot of methods for teaching counting in kindergarten. You can try to apply different elements in your own system. Change, add, improve.

The task of the teacher is to find an approach to all students in the group, regardless of their initial knowledge and skills. Distribute the load in such a way that “strong” children do not get bored, and “weak” children have time to learn the material. The result of the successful work of the teacher will be the alignment of the skills of the entire group of students to one high level. The absence of poorly trained team members is important.

Math lesson in the middle group "In the country of numbers" Kindergarten No. 30 | Outline of a lesson in mathematics (middle group) on the topic:

Middle group math lesson “In the Land of Numbers” Kindergarten No. 30

Middle group math lesson is designed to teach children to distinguish and name known geometric shapes: circle, square, triangle, quadrilateral, oval and group them by color, improve the ability to determine the position of geometric shapes in relation to each other, learn to count within four and correctly find the place of a number in ascending order.

Tasks:

Educational:

teach children to distinguish and name known geometric shapes: circle, square, triangle, quadrilateral, oval and group them by color.

improve the ability to determine the position of geometric shapes in relation to each other.
teach children to count within four and correctly find the place of a number in ascending order.
repeat verses about numbers within four.
to expand the stock of words with the opposite meaning (antonyms) through the game "On the contrary".
to form the ability to find a house according to a given number. (P.I. "Find your house")

Developing: to develop the ability to count and answer the teacher's questions.

Educational: to cultivate perseverance, the ability to work in a team.

Materials: 3 hoops with numbers 1, 2, 3; medallions for each child with numbers, a dog toy, a painted rug, 3 bear toys.

Handout: cards with numbers up to four.

Preliminary work:

Geometric Lotto game.
Shape and color game.
Find your house game.
The opposite game.
Game "Extra Four"
Game "Live Numbers".

Course of the lesson

- Guys, what do you think you can go on a trip? (by plane, train, car, etc.)

- You are correct. Shh! Guys, do you also hear that knocking? (yes)

- While we were talking about the trip here, it seems that someone came to visit us. (Walk to the door)

– Indeed, the dog has come. (I bring in a toy)

The dog heard that you will play today, she wants to play too. Shall we play with her? (yes) And the dog's name is Bobik.

– Bobik, what did you bring? Oh, turns out guys, that's the rug he sleeps on. And what an interesting, unusual. You are Bobik, sit down, and the guys and I will look at your rug.

– Guys, what geometric shape does the rug look like? (per rectangle)

– What is the rug decorated with? (geometric shapes)

– What geometric shapes do you see? (triangle, circle, oval, square, rectangle)

- What color are they? (blue, red)

– On which side of the carpet are the blue geometric shapes? (on the left)

– And the red ones? (on the right)

- And what figure is on top of the circle? (triangle)

– From the bottom of the circle? (oval)

– And between which figures is the rectangle located? (between square and triangle)

– Well done guys, did you like the rug? (yeah)

- Guys, Bobik asks if you and I know the numbers. Bobik, the guys know the numbers. You will be convinced of this. Now we will play the game "Live numbers".

Live Numbers Game

Rules: 4 children receive numbers from 1 to 4, the leader is chosen and put the numbers correctly in order. The game is repeated 2 times.

– Amal, where will you put Alena?

– Nikita, what, after whom will you put?

- What do you guys think, did Amal arrange the children correctly? (children's answers)

– Well done! And now let's have a rest, do a physical education minute.

(I spend a physical education session with the children)

- Bobik, we know another game, it's called Find the Number.

Find the number game

- Guys, you have plates laid out on the tables, and there are numbers in them. Let's show Bobik a number that indicates how many spouts he has? (children show)

- What is the number Vyacheslav? Amal? (one)

- Bobik, the children showed correctly that you have one nose. And let's tell Bobik a poem about the number one.

Here is one, or one -
Very thin, like a knitting needle.

Now show me the number that indicates how many eyes Bobik has?

- What number are you showing Nikita? (two)

– Nastya, look at Bobik, how many eyes does he have? (two)

- And what poem do we know about the number two?

And this is the number two.
Admire what it's like:
The deuce arches its neck,
Dragging its tail behind it.

- Well done guys. Guys, we read a fairy tale about bears that live in the forest. Let's count them, how many there were.

There lived… dad, mom and a little bear (showing toys)

Now show me the number that indicates how many there are?

- What number is Danil showing? (three)

– Polina, how many bears were there? (three)

About the number three, what poem do we know? Tell Angelina.

Look at this,
The number three comes forward.
Three is the third of the badges.
Consists of two hooks.

- Let's show Bobik a number that indicates how many paws he has? (I go with the dog to the child).

– Sasha count how many paws the dog has? (four). Did you show correctly? (yes)

– And you, Igor, what number did you raise? (four)

- Bobik, we also know a poem about the number four.

Look, four is a chair,
Which I turned over.

– What good fellows you are! And you, Bobik, did you like the answers of our children? Since we liked it, we want to play one more game. Will the guys show Bobik the game "On the contrary"? (yes)

– Well, then I invite you to the rug.

– Bobik, you and I are coming with us.

Reverse game

Rules: children stand in a circle, I throw the ball to the child, saying "wide". The child catches the ball and returns it with the words "narrow". I use the parameters of magnitude, weight, time concepts, etc.

Long - short,
Large - small,
Low - high, etc.