Questions About Kindergarten

Hi K.,
My son was in Kindergarten last year and yes they do learn simple addition in kindergarten. As a matter of fact he in in 1st grade now and bringing home double didgit subtraction and addition. He WILL catch on to the math. An easy way to get him to grasp the concept is to use visual manipulatives. such as mini marshmallows or goldfish crackers and in addition he'll get an afternoon snack while doing homework. for example if the math problem is 6+3= have him start with 6 marshmallows and explain in simple terms why, and have him add 3 more marshmallows to the six. then ask him how many he has all together. If he continues to do his math in the manner he will eventually grasp the idea and he won't need the manuulatives anymore. Do the same with subtraction. It worked for me and I think it will work for you too. good luck.

I volunteer in a Kinder class once a week for my teaching class and they actually do quite a bit of addition and a lot of reading. I was talking to their teacher about it and she said as far as standards go Kinderarten is first grade now. They also have homwork now which I never remember having that young. As far as helping him with my class when a child has a problem we use both hands one to hold up the number of the fingers of the first number we are adding and the other to hold up the second number and then have them count them that seemed to work pretty well. Teddy Grahams work to to count and then he also gets a reward.

Well it is a new age since your last child they are getting him ready for his next grade level and I was told that they have an end of the school year math test that they all have to take...I have learned this through my sisters 6 year old who is also in Kindergardn...she was struggling with subtractions but she got it we my sister and I told her to go the finger method and she was successful and we didn't push her we told her she will learn and not to get frustrated and now she is happy...soon she will be learning addition and the teacher told me that a lot of the students will have a better time at this but try the finger method or use a favorite candy or jelly beans and set out the number of beans added to the next number...reenforce him that it takes time and he will get it...I don't know if this well help any but I am a single/divorced mother of a 4 year old...

Welcome to the new world of "no child left behind". My daughter has also shocked me with the work that she brings home. She is in first grade and can completely read, and is doing word problems involving double digit addition and subtraction. Schools now have a national standard to meet and have to "cram" this stuff down our kids throats in order to be ready for the standardized testing that begins in 3rd grade. Sorry, this is now the norm and I wouldn't expect it to change much anytime soon!

Hi K.,
When I went to Kindergarten, I didn't learn addition, or any kind of math until First Grade. However, I think it's great that they are teaching that in Kindergarten. You're right, he is young and it's a challenge for him, but work with him as much as possible when he's home and it will eventually be easier for him. You can use sticks, candy, or even when you bake cookies you can play a math game like how many cookies have we baked, or how many have you eaten, etc. You can use dry uncooked macaroni and glue it to a cardboard to make addition problems like 1 macaroni plus 1 more macaroni equals 2. You can use a marker for the plus/minus/equal signs in between the macaroni. It would be a fun project for you and your son as well. :-) Best wishes. I hope this helps. You actually helped me in a way because now I know what to expect when my son goes to Kindergarten. I'll start teaching him some addition and subtraction before hand so that he'll be better prepared. Thank you for that. :-) Take care, G.

If he doesn't understand the process of addition, he's going to get more and more frustrated and overwhelmed. I think you should talk to the teacher to find out how it's being presented to the children. It should be done with lots of manipulatives (blocks etc...) that they can use to show the addition problem. It should be done in context of a word problem that they can understand- Josh has 4 cookies. His friend Kyle gives him 2 more. Now how many cookies does Josh have? At home, do that with him. Make it into a game where you practice addition, but in the context of a story. Find things to use at home that he can count. Do a lot of counting up with him. Give him a number to start with and have him count to the next number- for example, ask him to start at 5 and count up to nine- have him use his fingers, blocks, anything- then ask him how many he counted (4). THEN, show him that that is an addition sentence 5+4 = 9. It is early for them to have "naked" addition sentences where there is no context- that's why you should ask the teacher to explain how it's being taught- it may very well be in a word problem context at school with the use of counters, and the homework just isn't that way. Good luck.

my daughter is also in K they ahve been working toward adding since december. adding with cherios is great. have him take 4 cherios and add two more. we have been only working with single didgits all adding items or characters. just a couple weeks ago they started adding numbers. destiny charter school is wonderful. warner and cooper near mountainside fitness.

I remember thinking it was early, too, but my kids also started bringing home addition problems in kindergarten. There is thid great learning store over by the Babies R Us on Ray Rd. This may be too far for you, so perhaps there is something similar in your area. In any case, they have all these activity books and games on just about every subject, for every age group. It made learning certain things more fun and a little less frustrating, particularly for my son. Hope this helped!

Hello K.,

It is never too early for our children to experience math, reading, social skills. The trick or wonder of it all is this;
how is he being taught? Children at that age learn through hands on. If he is coming home with a homework ditto with math problems, that is a no-no. If he is bringing home a ditto from the teacher with a project that says something like,
Have your child make dinner with you and have your child experience measuring with a measuring cup. Or, have your child walk around the house and count how many red items are in the house. Or lastly have your child pick their favorite fruit, see how many times he with adult help can cut it up and then celebrate with sharing the fruit.
That is how kids at that age learn, seeing, smelling, tasting, doing, all hands on approach. Do not settle for less, voice your opinion to his teacher, go onto websites in particular, Highscope,or find a book in the bookstore to educate yourself further. You are his mom, you are the expert in your childs life, you know him best!
I am totally against stressing our children at such a young age, they will not like school.
My daughter learned math, reading, social behavior in K and first grade through her teachers love of penguins, it was beautiful!
Good Luck, you are a great mom!

I don't know about your school, but my daugter is doing double digit addition and now subtraction! Not only that but she is learning what nouns, verbs and adjectives are and how to use them! I talk to my MIL back east and she says that my DD is doing things that 3rd graders have trouble with! I think the schools out here are more advanced, or at least they seem to be.

they do learn addition in k. i have one in k and one in 3rd grade. i have a great idea. if you use something like m&m's or some type of special treat it works. it is something that they just catch on to. be patient. good luck.

Use counters (dice, noodle pieces, toys) to help your kinderkid and this helped mine.

They do things alot earlier these days. Its all about the test scores. They dont care if the kids dont understand or not. I went to school in MI and when I moved to the West Coast the curriculam was toooootallly different. My sister is in school there still and does stuff different then out here. Its crazy.

I have not only seen this issue here in Arizona but I am originally from Kansas. Back home they are starting to teach children things alot earlier then what they used to.

My daughter starts kindergarten this year also. I am looking forward to responses to your post because I want to know what to look forward to also.

It does seem a little early to start addition, but to help I have found that using a number line really helped my son with his addition. Also the website edhelper.com may have some fun worksheets that may help. Also the dollar store has several math workbooks for prek to kg, those may also help.
Also try putting out cheerios, or pennies, help him add that way using a visual.
Good Luck
K.

It is not unusual for a child to have problems learning something new. They may require help from you or a tutor to get past the wall but hang in there. Yes, K age children are being taught addition. It is something you can help with. If necessary, get a bunch of marbles, apples or whatever. Keep it simple and he will understand in no time.

Yes K. they are starting that early! Do you have things for your son to count? I have counting disks that are different colors. My youngest is in first grade and they have helped her a lot. I hope this helps:)
K.

I don't remember learning addition in kindergarten but i think the best way to help him learn it is make it fun for him- try taking something he likes and using it like crackers and showing him like here is 2 crackers, put 3 more next to them and count how many you have so that way he thinks it is fun to learn it. My son is in a montessori school and they are teaching him this right now too. His teacher just needs to make it fun for him and he won't get so frustrated.

I taught K before I had my son. We did start teaching addition and even some subtraction in K. The easiest thing to do to help is to give your son some kind of counters. You can use cereal or small toys. In school we used Teddy Bear Counters. Have your son use the counters to help him with the addition and probably someday subtraction. In K it is more about the concept but in 1st grade it will be more about memorizing. I wouldn't expect your son to memorize the problems but counters should help him to solve them. If you have questions I will be glad to help if I can.