Are you looking for hands-on addition Kindergarten lesson plan ideas? Students are excited to begin learning addition and subtraction. First, however, we must provide students with a solid foundation of addition and an understanding of their basic facts to prepare them for more complex learning.
Students who feel successful in math class are happier and more engaged in learning. Check out The Bonus Guide for Creating a Growth Mindset Classroom and Students Who Love Math for ideas, lessons, and mindset surveys for students to use in your classroom to cultivate a positive classroom community in mathematics. You can also sign up for other freebies from me Here at Easternshoremathteacher.com.
Once students are in first grade, they are expected to learn addition facts to 20 (fluent to 10). Then fluency to addition to 20 by the end of second grade. When I work with our lowest-performing students, many need to gain knowledge of their basic facts. So how do we start to improve this? We must begin by building a solid foundation in decomposing numbers in the early grades and connecting them to addition. Here are some ideas to incorporate into your addition kindergarten lesson plan with students.
How to Teach Addition
First, we need to teach students what it means to add. Then, we begin teaching students that addition can be thought of as physically or conceptually placing two or more quantities together. We can show this by acting out different situations where we are joining or adding to a situation. At first, young children do not need the symbols +, 1, and =.
Eventually, we can introduce the symbols to students and continue to have them work on solving problems within context. Using real-world situations and literature is a great way to teach addition to young students.
What are Addition Facts?
Facts with addends of 0-10 are considered basic facts. Sometimes, 0-9 are considered basic facts.
As math teachers, we want students to become fluent in single-digit addition and subtraction facts. We call these basic math facts because they provide the foundation for more complex problems.
Students should develop both automaticity and an understanding of math facts. We want our students to understand these facts. Here is a breakdown of when students are expected to have automaticity with their basic facts.
Addition Facts to 5 Standard
K.OA.A.5 By the end of kindergarten, students should know addition and subtraction facts with sums to 5 from memory. They should have various experiences using concrete materials and drawings to show their understanding. Using five frames with counters helps to develop and reinforce sums to 5. Students should be able to give a sum or difference in about 3 seconds without resorting to counting to be fluent.
- Variety of materials to practice facts with sums to 5 in your addition kindergarten lesson plan.
- Use counters, dot cards, five frames, linking cubes, and pictures.
Addition Facts for 10 Standard
1.OA.C.6 Add and subtract within 20, demonstrating fluency for addition and subtraction with 10. Students should use concrete materials and ten frames to develop a conceptual understanding of strategies.
- Variety of materials to practice adding and subtracting with sums to 20
- Explain their strategy for finding the sum.
- Demonstrate fluency for facts with sums to 10
- Extend the use of strategies to facts with sums to 20. (They will be expected to be fluent in 2nd Grade)
- Use of concrete objects and ten frames. FREE Ten Frames Free Printable- 5, 10, and Double Ten Frames- Digital and Print Versions
Addition in Preschool
Decomposing in Math
Decomposing and Composing is a prerequisite for students learning their addition math facts. It involves helping children break numbers into parts (decompose) and back together ( compose). For example, a student who can compose and decompose numbers understands that 1 and 3 make 4. In addition, can break 4 into 1 and 3.
In preschool, use objects to compose and decompose numbers to 5. Then, eventually, move to numbers to 10.
decomposing-in-mathAddition in Kindergartenen
Decompose and Compose Numbers
It is important to use concrete and pictorial representations to understand that numbers can be combined and taken apart in various ways. Students need many opportunities with numbers up to 5 and later extending to 10. This forms the foundation for future work with place value and helps students develop mental images and strategies with basic facts.
Students use counters to compose and decompose the numbers and then can begin to represent the problem with pictures and words (2 and 3), and then finally symbols ( 2 + 3 = 5)
Read more…Discover Fun and Exciting Activities and Upack What is Decomposing in Math?
Strategies to Use in Addition Kindergarten Lesson Plan
Once students have a basic understanding of addition, you can teach them some strategies to learn their addition facts.
Plus 1 Addition Facts
Here we transition students from counting all to beginning with one addend and counting on. The sum is the following counting number when 1 is added to a number. Number bonds or number lines are a helpful visual for recognizing this idea.
Plus 0 Addition Facts
The 0 facts are the most straightforward set of facts since adding nothing does not change a quantity. However, it can confuse students, so it is important to act out these situations.
What are Doubles Facts in Math?
Doubles facts are where both addends are the same. There is no need to address the commutative property, so this fact set is small. Students will use these facts to find the sums of near-doubles facts.
Doubling refers to the process of adding a quantity to itself. It is joining two like groups.
2 + 2= 4
5 + 5= 10
Read more… 5 Simple and Effective Ways to Practice Doubles Facts in Math.
Introducing Addition in Kindergarten
Through hands-on activities and thoughtful discussions, students develop a deeper understanding of math facts and develop valuable strategies related to these facts.
Students develop a deeper understanding of basic facts through problem-posing, hands-on exploration, real-world examples, songs, games, and exploring situations from children’s literature.
Addition Facts Song
Using songs helps students remember their basic math facts. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Move and Add, Add and Move | Jack Hartmann Addition Song
- Let’s Learn Our Addition Facts 1 | Addition Song for Kids
- Addition Song for kids – Jack Hartmann – YouTube
- Songs for Teaching Addition
Addition Stories Kindergarten Read Alouds
Animals on Board (MathStart) and Domino Addition are two of my favorite books to use with addition. Students can use counters to model what is happening in the book. Here is a list of other books to use when teaching addition. After reading Domino Addition, it might be fun to use this domino addition resource.
Ten Black Dots by Donald Crews is an excellent book with numbers up to 10. We made Dot Books to show all the ways we could make 10, and then we created a picture to show 10. You could do a similar activity with different total number of dots.
Using items from the books helps students connect to what is happening. The more real-world connections we can make, the more students can see the math all around them. For example, using food, animal, or objects that relate to a book.
Acting out Story Problems
Acting out addition story problems (with their bodies or counters) can make addition fun and real-life. I like to use situations in literature books to connect with students.
Acting out problems is a hands-on and engaging addition activity that encourages student collaboration. You can even use a five or ten frame by creating one with tape on the floor.
First, have students stand in the spaces to represent 10 counters. Next, read a story problem aloud and have students act the problem out, using themselves as counters in the ten-frame. Then, have them all say the addition sentence aloud.
Pose story problems and have students model the problem.
- Andre had 2 basketballs. He had 3 soccer balls. How many total balls did he have?
- Sara had 4 red flowers. She had 2 yellow followers. How many total flowers did she have?
How to Teach Addition to Kindergarten Students
Addition 5 Sums
As students begin to understand addition as a total or whole, they can find sums in concrete ways using manipulatives to represent items, then physically moving them together and counting them to find the total (Count All strategy).
Using ten-frames and part-part-whole mats help students organize their counters.
Five Frames & Ten Frames
A Five Frame has five equal spaces in a row. For children in pre-kindergarten or kindergarten who have not yet explored a ten frame, it is a good idea, to begin with a five frame. The five frame focuses on the relationship to 5 as an anchor for numbers. These are often used before introducing a ten frame. Check out this link to find a free five-frame printable and digital version. Five Frames Template
A ten frame is a rectangle with ten equal spaces. It has five spaces on top and five on the bottom. Ten frames are a fantastic tool used in kindergarten and first grade to help build an understanding of counting, place value, adding, subtracting, and more. Check out this link to find a free Ten Frames Template. Ten Frames Free Printable.
Read more… Why Using Ten Frames for Math to Develop Understanding is Effective?
Part- Part- Whole Mats
Part- Part- Whole Mat: Allow students to use manipulatives to create two equal-sized groups. Students place counters in one part and then put an equal number in the other part. Then, record an addition equation to show the two parts and find the sum.
Read more…How to Use the Powerful Part-Part-Whole Strategy to Improve Number Sense.
Adding Kindergarten Lesson Ideas
Addition Games for Kindergarten and Activities
- Use paint or bingo daubers. Have students dab (or paint) spots. Then, have a partner find the total.
- Have students pick two numeral cards. Then, model the problem with counters.
- Marble Math Addition
Kindergarten Addition with Pictures
Once students are comfortable with adding with physical objects, you can begin to have students solve addition with pictures.
Students can count the objects or can draw the objects to represent addition problems.
Addition Kindergarten Lesson Plan
Warm-up/ Engage:
Start with a book or video to introduce the idea of addition and get students excited to add.
Explore:
Then, provide students with objects and have them model joining or adding situations.
Explain:
This is an opportunity for students to explain what they did to model the situation and an opportunity for students to explain their thinking.
Elaborate:
In this part of the lesson, we can extend students’ learning and connect to previous learning.
Evaluate:
The teacher should walk around, assist students, and monitor who may need additional support.
Addition For Kindergarten Video
Sharing videos to introduce addition is another fun way to engage students. Here are some of my favorites:
Activities and Addition Games Kindergarten Free Ideas
Using technology is another way to make a lesson more engaging. You can use them in many ways with students, and they save time by digitally having the mats and counters.
- Free Printable Kindergarten Addition Worksheets
- Doubles Math Facts Worksheet FREEBIE
- Facts of 10 | Freebie
Addition for Kindergarten Worksheets and Slides
Decomposing in Math is a prerequisite skill, and these digital and print resources for all 4 seasons help students compose and decompose numbers to 10.
These Part-Part-Whole Activities are great for warm-ups, whole group, or small-group instruction. Students use addition or subtraction to find the missing part.
Kindergarten Addition Practice has digital slides and worksheets for all 4 seasons for addition to 5.
When students are ready, the Math Facts Addition Practice or Math Fact Practice Bundle can help them practice their facts to 10 with ten frames and counters.
Addition for Kindergarten
Building the foundation for addition starts early by putting together or joining objects. Everyday situations, or situations from books, help students understand what addition is all about. So find a book, and start having students model situations of addition using physical objects.
Check out The Bonus Guide for Creating a Growth Mindset Classroom and Students Who Love Math for ideas, lessons, and mindset surveys for students to use in your classroom to cultivate a growth mindset in mathematics. You can also sign up for other freebies from me Here at Easternshoremathteacher.com.
What are some ways you like to introduce students to addition? Share your Kindergarten lesson plan ideas and activities in the comments.
