Thinking Mathematically

One thing I love about teaching kindergarten is how our learners see math everywhere. They explore mathematical concepts naturally during their play and exploration. We set up invitations for them to explore these concepts and we're usually blown away by the complexity of their thinking.

"It started as a square, then a cube and then a rectangular prism!"

Counting and patterning in the sand table.

Sorting by colour.

Creating growing patterns by 1 and by 2.

So many complex patterns created by I.S!

Creating patterns and measuring the lines using loose parts. What math can you see?

Measuring how many caps long the line is.

This pattern blew me away, can you figure out what is it?

D.A. worked to determine which line was longest using the measuring tool penne pasta. She determined that the curvy line is the longest.

2D shape creations. We still love making mandalas!

When your children are playing, take time to observe their play. Chances are you are able to find math! You can encourage your child/student to think about math concepts by naturally integrating it into your questioning about what they're doing:

• How tall do you think your structure is? How can you find out?
• How many ____ did you use?
• What would go next in your pattern?
• How do you know?
• What shapes are in your creation/drawing/structure?
• How many tickets do we need for everyone in our family to go on the ride? What coins do we need to use?
• My bike has 2 wheels and your bike has 3 wheels, how many wheels do we have all together?
• Which ____ do you think is longer? How can you show me.
• Show me your thinking. 
• Tell me more.

This list could go on and on! 

Prompts or "talk moves" to encourage your child/students math thinking from 'Maximizing Math Learning in the Early Years'

Math is naturally everywhere if you take the time to look. Cannot wait to see what our mathematicians do next!