For the first few weeks of school, we always focus on the basics such as how to be a friend, sharing, walking in a line, sitting on the carpet, writing our name, letters, and NUMBERS! Many students do not enter Kindergarten with a strong foundation in number sense. So before we can dive into the math curriculum, we spend a few weeks exploring numbers to get a deeper understanding.
For the first few weeks of school, we always focus on the basics such as how to be a friend, sharing, walking in a line, sitting on the carpet, writing our name, letters, and NUMBERS! Many students do not enter Kindergarten with a strong foundation in number sense. So before we can dive into the math curriculum, we spend a few weeks exploring numbers to get a deeper understanding.
The first week of school, we do just a quick review of counting and number recognition. Then the next week begins our Number of the Week activities. During these 10 weeks, we focus on 1 number each week and really dive into and explore each number. This helps kids get a deeper understanding of the numbers inside and out. It also helps set up a great foundation for addition, subtraction, and teen numbers!
Let me show you a quick glimpse of some of the activities that we do each week. These activities are all digital and can be done in whole group, small group, or even individually assigned through Google Classrooms™. We usually start each lesson in whole groups listening to number songs and talking about the number. There is a number song for each day of the week in the pack. Then we will practice searching the room for things that have our number of the week on it or finding that many of one object in our classroom. Students will complete the other daily activities in small groups or independently.
Each day of the week we will start our number of the day lesson with a number song then building the number with manipulatives. I will display these on the board so that we can do them as a whole group but the students will also have the manipulatives with them in a bag so that they can build them with hands on materials. great for fine motor skills and spatial concept! Then we will break into our daily activities.
Day 1
On day 1, we focus mostly on number recognition. We want students to understand what the number looks like so when they see it in math lessons and everyday life, they will instantly recognize the number. Students will complete two activities to help reinforce the number. The first activity, students will look at the various number tiles and sort them into the correct jar, if they are the number of the week or not. The second activity for the day is a Cover Up. Using the counters, students will cover up all of the number of the week that they see.
Day 2
After the students watch the number video and build the number with pattern blocks, they will complete their number of the day activity. Today students will do a number maze. They will start at the race car and follow the number of the day path all the way to the stop sign by covering up each number on the number of the day path with a highlighter counter.
Day 3
Students will again begin the lesson with the number of the day video and building the number with snap cubes. Today we begin focusing on counting. We will practice whole group by finding things in the classroom that are the same amount as our number of the day and counting them together. Then students will work on their activity for the day by counting objects and placing the correct number of objects onto the picture. Then to finish the daily activities, students will practice typing the number of the day on their computers or tablets.
Day 4
Today is when we really dive into different ways to represent our number and subitizing. We start off with a song teaching students a couple of different ways to represent the number of the week. Then for the students activity of the day, they will look at all of the different ways to represent numbers and cover up all of the ones that show how to represent the number of the week with a counter.
Day 5
Today is the final day of our number of the week. After we watch our number video and build the number of the week on our ten frame students will begin their activities for the day. Today’s activities are a continuation of yesterday’s lesson. Students will look at all of the different ways to represent numbers. If it represents a way to show the number of the week, they place it into the number of the week jar, if not, it goes into the other jar. The last activity of the week brings in some literacy into our math lessons by having the students read the numbers.
These are great activities to help students build confidence in numbers during the beginning of the school year and help to set students up for success in their math lessons throughout the school year. These are a few activities that we do the first weeks of school. To help build on these activities, I also add a few other number activities into our math centers or early finishers bins to help build onto our lessons each week. Check them out below.
You can also grab this Google Slides bundle to use in your classroom below. This does not have to be done only the first 10 weeks of school. You can use this resource all year long however it best fits the needs of your students.
Want to try out the first week? Enter your information below to join my newsletter and I’ll send you the number 1 activities straight to your inbox! Hope you and your students enjoy!
