Number Sense
Number Sense
Kindergarten is a time for learning math concepts and skills. One of the areas that kindergarteners will learn about is called number sense. Number sense means having a basic understanding of numbers, what they are, and how we use them. Students will be able to identify numbers, although many students will come to school already having a good foundation with numbers. It’s important that children understand the concept that numbers represent how many there are of something or what the value of something is. Number sense in kindergarten math involves things like counting, grouping, and comparing quantities of numbers. They’ll use the words more and less. They’ll begin counting by 1s, but will also skip count by 2s, 5s, and 10s.
Kindergarten number sense also involves being able to manipulate and play with numbers. They might classify and group different objects, find patterns, compare objects and groups of objects, and count. Students will also begin to gain a basic understanding of place value. They’ll understand that each digit represents a certain value and they’ll become more familiar with specific numbers like zero and the power of tens. Students will also expand their kindergarten math vocabulary. All of the basic math skills they learn from this point on will involve number sense, whether it’s telling time, measuring, or learning about the months of the year.