Kindergarten Overview: Objects, Positions, and Quantity

     Kindergarten students make a very important step in their mathematical education — in this grade, they transition to abstract thinking. Whereas in Pre-Kindergarten they lightly touched upon cubes as abstract objects, in Kindergarten they will become familiar with the Number Line and Base-10 Blocks. Here, the first math signs appear (plus and minus). Students will reinforce and expand their knowledge of basic geometry and learn principles of sorting objects and comparing them, which will be necessary for Grade 1, where students begin to compare numbers. In the second half of the Kindergarten curriculum, work with simple equations based on various visual models begins. Students strengthen their knowledge of numbers to 10 and begin to learn numbers to 20, which prepares them for Grade 1.

     Emerging readers can easily work with Happy Numbers on their own, as our app features text read aloud in English and Spanish as many times as your students need.

     Happy Numbers provides Kindergarten teachers with robust and comprehensive software, which can be used for whole-group instruction, independent centers, and at-home practice. It also helps collect personalized data about the learning path of each student. 

Learn more about the Happy Numbers curriculum for Kindergarten in this overview!

     All exercises mentioned below are part of the Happy Numbers course for Kindergarten. Visit HappyNumbers.com to explore our full curriculum and sign up for a free trial.

     First of all, students will briefly repeat Pre-K materials. Happy Numbers reminds them of basic logical terms, such as same and different, and also the principles of sorting.
 

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

     In addition, students review counting in various exercises, including those with manipulatives. A tangible experience helps them understand the meaning of the process before they move to more abstract math operations.

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

 

     In Module 1 students work with numbers from 0 to 10. Tasks are simple, and the curriculum includes many repetitions of similar scenarios with different numbers. Practice makes perfect, doesn’t it? Using repetition, Happy Numbers leads students to master the concept.

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

     Happy Numbers varies the notation to make the task just a little harder. Look at those octopuses! How is it possible not to fall in love with math with such a scenario?

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

     It’s important for Kindergarten students to have a strong mental grasp on numbers to 10. That’s why in the next exercise Happy Numbers asks them to count the birds while they are flying away.

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

 

     Students have already reviewed material about objects that are the same or different. They’re learning to count unlike and unaligned objects, a skill which is now merged with number matching. What a pleasure to count cute kittens!

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

   Module 1 of the Kindergarten curriculum ends with addition and subtraction of 1 with abstract visual models and numerical notation. Students then try it with a model of Base-10 Blocks:

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

 

… and using equations with just numerals:

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

     The next Module is dedicated to “Two-Dimensional and Three-Dimensional Shapes.” Students review shapes and their names learned in Pre-K…

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

 …as well as become familiar with polygons and hexagons and their properties.

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

     They choose specific shapes to complete and decorate the picture. This helps them memorize shape names and learn to quickly identify them.

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

     Then Happy Numbers increases the complexity of the task by asking students to color figures with different colors depending on their shape.

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

 

     In topic B students explore spatial orientation. They learn such terms as above/below and also up/down, in front of/behind, between/beside, and near:

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

 

     Kindergarteners are not yet ready to learn comparison properly, but they can notice differences such as longer, taller, and shorter. Several tasks with visually highlighted attributes of objects will prepare them for formal comparing in Grade 1.

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

     Also, at this stage they also identify heavier and lighter objects.

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

 

     In the next exercise, Happy Numbers labels picture with quantities to smoothly transition students from concrete objects to numeric notation.

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

     Happy Numbers includes manipulatives to push students toward grasping the pattern. They now arrange objects and compare them visually, without counting. There are exercises with similar and dissimilar objects and some with objects that aren’t aligned. These exercises provide training for numerical comparison.

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

     Firstly, using concrete and familiar objects, like cars, for example, students learn to count totals. They work with real-world objects in two colors to learn how to differentiate addends. 

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

 
     Then, for the first time Happy Numbers introduces “+” and “-” signs and teaches how to use them.
 

To see the full exercise, follow this link.
     After, students will more easily grasp the connection between concrete and abstract. Happy Numbers has them match the visual model of real objects and more abstract Base-10 Blocks:

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

 

     Familiarity with abstract cube models and color-coding helps students solve problems once real objects are removed.

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

     Happy Numbers combines knowledge of several types of notation and different levels of abstraction in another exercise. It provides an equation scenario represented by real objects, which students need to model with Base-10 Blocks and record as an equation.

To see the full exercise, follow this link. 

     In Topic D students  progress into subtraction.

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

 

     With the expectation that students have learned the skills for solving simple equations, Happy Numbers increases the numbers. Now they solve equations with numbers up to 10.

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

     At the end of the Kindergarten curriculum, Happy Numbers sets up a block of exercises about numbers up to 20. For Kindergarteners, it’s not really necessary to count beyond 10, but in preparation for Grade 1, it will be very helpful. Module 5 is devoted to the numbers 10 to 20.
     We start by introducing ten frames first.

To see the full exercise, follow this link.
     Students learn new numbers with a model of a ten frame. 

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

     Students also use Base-10 Blocks to practice numbers. If students make a mistake, Happy Numbers will remind them of the pattern of tens and ones they mastered previously. 

To see the full exercise, follow this link.
     Place value oriented exercises help students to practice two digit numbers: here, for example, they need to put a certain number of cubes in the box.

To see the full exercise, follow this link.
     Further students advance their knowledge by practicing addition of bigger numbers using models.

Then they master their skills of making sums of numbers, counting colored cubes and helping the little octopus.

     Finally, they’re ready to solve simple word problems on addition. Just like in this example with fish.

     Happy Numbers briefly touches on addition and subtraction of tens and ones. In the next grade, students will work a lot with the strategy of making ten first. Here, they might add 10, subtract 10, or get 10 as an answer.

To see the full exercise, follow this link.

     The main aim of the Kindergarten curriculum is to build fluency with whole numbers up to 10 and lay the foundation for further study of numbers beyond 10. Students should master the standard and word forms and easily quantify them with a visual model. That’s why Happy Numbers pays so much attention to the visual representation of numbers and aligns exercises in such a way that students will get a comprehensive understanding of basic numbers and their formation, moving from work with concrete objects to abstract models. 

Another important goal of this grade is the description of shapes and space. New terms such as above/below, up/down, in front/behind and between/beside allow students to take a fresh look at the world around them, to better navigate in space, and to prepare for more complex tasks in geometry. 

Mathematics is not just the science of numbers – it allows students to broaden their horizons, strengthen logical thinking, and develop a growth mindset. That is why it’s truly important to provide them with the best educational software which will both help them expand their knowledge and will collect data about their achievements, strengths, and weaknesses, which are so important for a teacher. Happy Numbers will be glad to become a part of your Kindergarten curriculum and do our best for your students!

     It’s incredibly easy to bring Happy Numbers to your class, and you can do so at any point in the school year. Sign up now or watch a 1-minute video that will guide you through the setup:

 

If you have any additional questions, our support team is always here to assist you. Click the blue messenger icon on the bottom right corner of this page to start a conversation with them.