Mathematics 

Kindy Maths

These last three weeks the Kindergarten students are learning about addition and subtraction and they do this by do lots of counting, combining and separating of objects. 

They are learning to:

• combine two or more groups of objects to model addition and identify the relationship between the parts and the whole
• use concrete materials or fingers to model and solve addition questions, counting forwards by ones 
• compare two groups of objects to determine how many more
• create, model and recognise combinations for numbers up to ten 
• count by ones to find the total 
• use drawings, words and numerals to record addition and explain their thinking

Here are some photos below of the students doing their activities in class. As you can see Mrs Nichols uses hands on materials such as counters, bears, dice and other manipulatives that the children can count, add and remove.

Tips for parents:

To help your child develop a strong understanding of addition and subtraction here are some things that you can do at home.

• play adding board games such as Snakes and Ladders

• use everyday materials to model addition. For example, start with 5 spoons from the cutlery drawer, now add 4 more spoons. How many are there altogether? 
• Encourage your child to help you when out shopping by counting and collecting objects to put into the basket, e.g. ‘Can you get 2 apples? (add more) How many do we have altogether?’

• When playing with building bricks or small toys, encourage your child to count how many of each colour or size. 
• Play simple board games and encourage your child to count the spots shown on the dice and the number of spaces to move. 
• Sing number-themed ......... counting rhymes and use your fingers or small props to help count the items, e.g. 10 Green Bottles.

• Watch Number Blocks with your child and discuss the concepts. Each episode has been carefully crafted with the help of the NCETM (National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics) and it helps children to see how numbers really work − and master a new key math skill with every adventure.