You’ve likely seen a variation to this Kindergarten counting activity on a worksheet or your child’s homework packet. But when my child took this out, I realized something important was missing on how to help him better recognize the items already counted. So, we super-sized it in this Breakfast Invitation to help him develop a better method of tracking what has already been counted. Now, it’s the Kindergarten activity we all needed!
What is a Breakfast Invitation?
A Breakfast Invitation is a simple learning game for kids to begin the day with play. If you are new here, welcome! I added everything to this Breakfast Invitation FAQ page.
Now that my child is older, we use these easy activities before the school day, after school, or when I am trying to cook dinner. It is a terrific way to share the same space but complete different tasks.
As my Kindergartener learns through play, I may chat from the other side, sipping tea, unloading the dishwasher, or waiting for dinner to heat up.
Big Kid Activity Cards
Because our big kids crave hands-on learning, too!
20 hands-on activities for ages 5.5-8 years old.
What your Kindergartener is learning
Kindergarteners have likely learned how to sort objects that have similar attributes. Some examples of this would be sorting objects by size, color, and texture.
With this math activity, all objects are spread out, and since they are on flat paper, they cannot be sorted into groups before sorting. Boo to worksheets, but the reality is that sometimes children are expected to perform and show mastery with this flat approach to learning.
This activity will help your child recognize which objects are alike and count how many without mixing up which ones have already been counted.
The skill being taught
We need to help reinforce problem-solving skills with our Kindergartners. One way to do this is by demonstrating how to cross off each item as it is counted.
To take it a step further, I want to share with my child how to choose a color for each object, which will help him better identify which items he has already counted.
Supplies
Like many of the preschool activities you see here on Days with Grey, the supply list is kept super simple. Gather the two supplies below and use them with your stash of broken crayons or markers.
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White Paper Roll
This is the white paper roll I suggest for families just starting.
Dot Stickers
You will be happy you have these when you need them. Dot stickers are a great supply for many counting activities.
Setup
Now that we have our supplies let’s set up this Kindergarten counting activity for our child to dive into.
- Tape the white paper to the table.
- Stick colored dots throughout the paper.
- Create a place at the bottom of the paper for the child to write the total amount counted.
- Add a number line above to help self-correct number shapes when writing.
- Put the matching colored crayons or markers to the left of the paper to use when counting.
Keep in mind
The idea is to reinforce how to use a different color when counting each object. This may first require you to explain or teach the strategy to your child.
You can also play this again in many ways! Find more stickers in your home and add them to the paper on the back. I can guarantee that your child will ask to play and count again. I know mine did!
Are you ready to try this with your kindergartener?
Kindergarten counting FAQ
There is a misconception that counting equals number sense. This is not always the case. Your beginning kindergartener needs to understand what a group of 1-10 objects looks like before moving on. As your child masters 1-10, begin to add on. By the end of Kindergarten, most children must count and understand numbers 1-100.
Start with simple sorting activities when your child is in preschool. Spend time counting the objects in each group and discussing which group has more or less. Then, use a ten frame to help better explain what a group of ten looks like. This will help build a solid foundation for higher-level counting and math skills.
Allow time to play at home, read, and talk with them about their daily routine’s simple joys and discomforts. You can also reinforce concepts they are working on in school with this list of kindergarten activities.
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