How to Teach Math & Science in Kindergarten

Teaching math and science to kindergarten students requires an understanding of how students learn and then providing the children with unique, daily exposure to age-appropriate math and science concepts. By doing this the students become familiar with the elements of science and mathematics. To make teaching math and science a fun an exciting adventure for both the teacher and the students, stock the classroom with objects the children can explore, touch and manipulate.

Things You'll Need

• Math manipulatives
• Cups
• Plates
• Napkins
• Wooden beads
• Colored pasta
• Flannel board and charts
• Coins
• Watering cans
• Gardening tools
• Soil, rocks, dirt
• Telescopes

Instructions

1. Teach the children an understanding of numbers. In kindergarten, children need to learn about numbers and how to put written numbers in the proper order. Appropriate activities for teaching number concepts include counting the number of girls and boys in the classroom, incorporating familiar finger plays such as “Five Little Monkeys” into the lesson plan and allowing the children to pass out the cups, plates and napkins at snack time.

2. Teach the concepts of classifying and sequencing. By the time a child reaches the kindergarten classroom he is prepared to recognize items as being the same or different and to sort a variety of objects according to size, color or shape. As a kindergarten teacher you can help students grasp these concepts through activities such as providing an assortment of small manipulatives such as plastic building blocks for sorting and classifying.

3. Teach the children how to recognize, copy and create their own patterns with classroom manipulatives and everyday objects. Allow the children to participate in activities that use materials with an assortment of sizes, shapes and colors. Have the students create and recreate patterns using wooden beads and multi-colored pasta. Flannel boards and charts can also be used to create simple patterns.

4. Teach the students money concepts. Kindergarten students are fascinated with the shape and feel of money, especially coins. Children need to be taught that money is used to purchase the things their families need and the monetary value of the different coins and bills. Activities to help the students begin to recognize coins include playing games such as money bingo and sorting coins into labeled containers.

5. Teach the children life and earth science. Kindergarten students gain knowledge about the world around them from observation and experience. Provide the students in your classroom with the opportunity to explore the world and then share what they find with their classmates. This can be accomplished by allowing the students to care for plants and animals in the classroom, taking nature walks to collect bugs and leaves for the class to study. You can also provide items such as watering cans, garden tools, seeds, rocks, dirt, telescopes and other scientific items that will help the students explore the earth, sun, moon and clouds.

6. Teach the children about the human body. Teaching health science requires providing the students with a variety of activities relating to nutrition, exercise and a healthy lifestyle. Provide information that demonstrates the proper way to prevent germs by washing hands before meals and the importance of bathing on a regular basis. You might also consider inviting a health care professional to visit the classroom. If you fill the classroom with an atmosphere of adventure and creativity, you will soon discover that teaching math and science to kindergarten students can be an exciting learning experience.