5 Online Resources to Help Teach Kindergarteners CCSS-Aligned Math
The Counting and Cardinality domain in the Common Core State Standards is only found at the kindergarten grade level. The standards in the domain focus on number names, counting in a sequence and comparing numbers.
Manipulatives are key for this standard because they provide students with something concrete to touch while counting and comparing. There are also some good Web and device resources available for students to learn from in the classroom and at home. This list of online resources is by no means 100 percent comprehensive, but it’s a great place to get started for kindergarten teachers exploring Counting and Cardinality.
Websites
ABCYa Counting Fish is a collection of Language Arts and Mathematics games for students in grades K-5. The games are a big hit with students because they are fun. They are a big hit with teachers and parents because they are educational and easy to understand.
The objective of Counting Fish is to count the number of fish on the screen and click on the corresponding number. In the first level, students are asked to count one to five fish. When they master Level 1, they can move to Level 2 and Level 3, where the number of fish increases.
Illuminations Ten Frame is a great website to have in your math resource arsenal. Created by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Illuminations contains a large variety of lessons and interactives. The ten frame is just one of those interactives.
Students can interact with four different games using the ten frame and the available manipulatives. The four games include Counting How Many, Building How Many, Filling the Ten Frame and Adding. Even though this is a website, students can play it on a device in a one-on-one setting or an interactive whiteboard in a small- or large-group setting.
iOS and Android Apps
Monster Squeeze ($1.99 for iPhone, iPad and Android) is one of the many apps created by McGraw-Hill. It’s a two-player app. The first player selects a number on the 0 to 10 number line. The game will then state if the selected number is smaller or larger than the secret number. The second player then selects another number until the players figure out the secret number.
Drive About Number Neighborhood ($2.99 for iPhone and iPad) is an app by Artgig Studio. This app provides students with nine different games that focus on number writing, number identification, counting and number order. Students can move around the game using the neighborhood map. This is an app your students will request again and again! The different games present the concepts in multiple formats, and the students will enjoy the different characters.
Animal Math Games for Kids was created by Eggroll Games, which provides a variety of lower elementary math games that are a big hit with students and teachers. You can download this Android and iOS app for free, but it does include some in-app purchases. The free edition gives you access to the following levels: Counting to 10, Sequences & Patterns and Addition to 5. The app asks students questions in a variety of formats and gives them immediate feedback. This is a great app for advanced students or to use toward the end of the unit.
About the Author
Eva Harvell has worked in education for 12 years, as an elementary teacher for seven years and a technology integration specialist for the last five years. You can follow Eva on Twitter @techie_teach.