Addition -- the kinder way

I have random favorite units to teach... and beginning addition is one of them. Here's why:

• It's fun and hands-on.
• It lends itself to great games and activities.
• The kids feel SO COOL when they learn how to do it.
• For some reason... the kids just get it. All of them. It's pretty amazing.

Anyways, here are my favorite things we did this year for our addition unit:

First, we start by learning number stories -- or number families (using the words "and" and "is" in place of the + and =)

We wrote a class book about animals and number stories...

This is always a favorite station -- the Domino Express. It's a great way to teach "number families."

And... my favorite game! Shut the Box. So fun for a small group, pair, or even individual practice. Check it out! It's a classic!

Then, the kids are so excited to learn how to use a + sign and = sign...

This was a really fun small group activity. The kids loved the ice cream theme -- and I loved the genuine practice. E-mail me or leave a comment if you want the printable!

This is another great practice for just learning the + and =... domino addition. E-mail me or leave a comment if you want the printable!

My kinders love it all -- I hope yours do, too!

Tower Power number game

On the 100th day, my kids had so much fun stacking 100 cups. I knew I had to make a small group & workstation game with the same concept. But, of course, I would be "tricking them" into practicing a target skill.

That's the way things work around here. 

They think they're playing. I know they're working. Win-win.

At a district meeting, another kindergarten teacher recommended a game she called "Tower Power." It entailed writing letters/words on cups, putting the cups in an empty Pringles can, and stacking them up to make a tower. I knew my kids would love it.

I tweaked the idea to meet our needs -- no can (just a basket), labels are easier than writing, and I included a recording sheet. I have found that simple recording sheets really help increase the accountability while my students are at independent workstations. 

For the target skill, I used numbers over 100. All of my kids can identify numbers 100-109, but several of them were struggling with the numbers over 109 -- like 117, 125, etc. So, this was the perfect game to practice.

How to play:

1. Take a cup from the stack. Read the number/word/letter. [You can't see them, but I typed numbers 100-130 onto labels and stuck them on the cups.]

2. Add the cup to the growing tower. Be careful!

3. Write the number/word/letter on your recording sheet.

4. Repeat until the stack is gone. My kids relished in their "huge tower" using all the cups!

Click HERE or on the printable above for recording sheets (number, word, and letter version all included).