Teaching Kindergarten Math should be fun, engaging, and interactive! I always schedule kindergarten guided math in the afternoon when my students are more likely to be getting tired and more unfocused since I can use tons of manipulatives, songs, and hands on centers to keep them engaged in learning. But how do you schedule all of the fun ideas you have as well as make sure you are meeting your curriculum goals and completing interventions? Kindergarten guided math is the answer!
There’s Never Enough Time for Everything!
It seems like there’s never enough time to get in all of the fun things you want to accomplish as well as all of the things you are required to do. Teaching kindergarten math can be difficult since it has so many standards and many of them span across the year because students continue to build on them and master them.
The skills of your students vary so widely because you have some that have come in knowing how to rote count, identify shapes, or even count with one to one correspondence, and others that you need to teach the first few numbers and colors. By structuring your math block with daily centers, you can see all of your students for math and make sure they are getting both the kindergarten curriculum and exactly what they need!
Structure Your Kindergarten Guided Math with Ready Made Centers
I do three simple kindergarten guided math centers in my classroom daily. They are technology, teacher, and table centers. During technology center my students complete mandated time on our online program that goes along our math curriculum. Once they have finished those minutes for the week they can choose to work on math boom cards.
Teacher center is where I teach our math curriculum for the week, assess and complete progress monitoring interventions, and take data. I also use this time to introduce any new centers or games that students will independently do at their table centers. This is my favorite center as I get to see each student daily for small group math and know exactly where they are struggling and what they are succeeding with. On Fridays I use quick exit tickets to assess students at my group and help them update their data binders.
Table center is probably my students’ favorite. This is where they can choose from manipulatives such as pattern blocks or building towers to match number cards, printable activities such as color by codes and mystery pictures, or games such as file folders, intervention binder games, and other math centers including math adapted books. Once students learn how a center option works I can simply change out the standard and they don’t have to relearn the center concept.
Kindergarten Guided Math Takeaways
Kindergarten guided math allows you to see every one of your students daily for small group math instruction. Using the technology, table, and teacher center method the students are excited because they understand the structure and routine, and you will be excited because you will see growth and have minimal prep. Using fun printable kindergarten math games, manipulatives, and your chosen math curriculum, you can teach kindergarten guided math!
Try this Free Center for Kindergarten Guided Math Today!
Try file folders as an easy center in your classroom today. Teach file folder expectations once and you can simply change out the folders to have them practice different concepts throughout the year. These dinosaur themed folders have three levels to allow you to differentiate for your students based on their current ability and work on kindergarten math standards in a fun way.
