Kindergarten math lessons

Every kindergarten lesson Lux teaches, unit by unit, in the order a school year reaches them.

Unit 1: Counting to 20

Usually taught in August and September

  • Touch and count7 apples in a row. Touch each one once and say one number: 1, 2, 3, up to 7. Then write 7.
  • The last number tells how manyFixes a mistakeAsked "how many?", say the last number counted, 6. There is no need to count again.
  • Moved, but still the sameFixes a mistake8 stars in a row slide into a circle. None added, none taken away: still 8.
  • Counting a messy group9 scattered balls. Tick each one as it is counted, so none is counted twice or missed.
  • Counting rows to 2015 apples in 3 rows of 5. Count each row left to right, then the next row down: 15.
  • Count out just enough"Show 6": move counters into a ten frame one at a time, and stop at 6.
  • Don't skip a numberFixes a mistakeCounting out 17 as "14, 15, 17" gives only 16 counters. Every number gets its own counter.
  • First, second, thirdAn apple, a ball, a car, a star, and a cup in a line. From the left, the car is third and the cup is fifth.
  • New order, same countFixes a mistakeThe cup was fifth. Lined up another way, the cup is second, and there are still 5 things.
  • One more each timeCounters join a row one at a time. Each new number we say means one more counter than the number before.
  • How many at a glanceDots appear in a dice pattern and in a ten frame. A full row is 5, so 5 and 2 more is 7: say how many without counting each dot.

Unit 2: More, less, and counting on

Usually taught in September and October

  • Match them to compare6 cups and 4 straws, matched one to one. 2 cups have no straw, so 6 is greater than 4.
  • Equal to5 dogs and 5 bones. Every dog gets one bone and none are left: 5 is equal to 5.
  • Bigger things are not moreFixes a mistake4 big balls and 7 small marbles. The balls take more space, but 7 is greater than 4.
  • Counting by tens to 100Rows of 10 dots, counted by tens: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60. Each row is ten more, and ten rows make 100.
  • Count on from any numberStart at 47, not at 1: 48, 49, 50, 51.
  • After 29 comes 30Fixes a mistake27, 28, 29, then 30, not 20 and not "twenty-ten". A new ten starts.
  • Counting back12 counters given away one at a time: 11, 10, 9. Each number is one less.
  • Which number is bigger?Two written numbers to 10, each shown as dots in a ten frame. The number with more dots is greater.

Unit 3: Sorting and counting

Usually taught in October and November

  • Sort, then count10 shapes sorted into circles, triangles, and rectangles. Count each group: 4, 3, and 3.
  • Which group has the most?Toys sorted into groups: 5 balls, 2 cars, 3 stars. Balls have the most, and cars have the fewest.
  • One rule at a timeFixes a mistakeBig and little circles and triangles. Sort by shape or by size, not both at once, and each one fits in just one group.
  • Find the part that repeatsA row of shapes: circle, square, circle, square. Ring the part that repeats, the core, then draw two more cores to keep the pattern going.
  • Earning money and getting giftsPay for raking leaves is earned, so it is income; a birthday dollar is a gift. Sort each one, and name a job that earns money.
  • Wants and needsFood, a coat, and a home are needs; a toy and a treat are wants. Sort each picture, and tell how earning money pays for them.
  • Sort it, then graph itA pile of 3 red blocks, 5 blue blocks, and a sock. The sock does not belong. Line each color up in its own row: blue has more, so a block picked from the pile is likely blue.

Unit 4: Putting together and taking apart

Usually taught in November and December

  • Put together3 apples and 2 more apples join: 3 and 2 make 5. Then write 3 + 2 = 5.
  • Take away7 apples, and 2 are eaten. Cross out 2, and 5 are left: 7 − 2 = 5.
  • One problem, many pictures4 and 2 as dots, as cubes, and as jumps on a number line. Each way makes 6.
  • Ways to make 55 counters, some filled and some empty: 4 and 1, 3 and 2, 2 and 3, 1 and 4, then 5 and 0.
  • Hidden counters7 counters, and some hide under a cup. 4 show, so 3 hide: 4 + 3 = 7.
  • The two parts can matchFixes a mistake8 can be 4 and 4. Two parts the same size are a way to make 8 too.
  • Act out an adding storyDani colored 3 pages and Ciara colored 2. Draw them, then count them all: 5.
  • Act out a take-away storyAshley has 10 crayons and gives 4 to Larry. Cross out 4, and 6 are left.

Unit 5: Adding and subtracting within 10

Usually taught in December and January

Unit 6: Teen numbers and the number line

Usually taught in January and February

Unit 7: Is it true?

Usually taught in February and March

  • Show it is true7 = 9 − 2 with cupcakes: cross out 2 of the 9, and 7 are left. Both sides are 7.
  • True or false?3 + 7 = 13: draw 3 and 7, and they make 10, not 13. False. Then 7 + 6 = 13 is true.
  • The total can come firstFixes a mistake8 = 5 + 3 is true. The equal sign means "the same as", so the 8 can come first.

Unit 8: Shapes

Usually taught in April

  • Four flat shapesCircle, triangle, rectangle, and square: count the sides and corners. A circle has neither.
  • Turned, it is still a triangleFixes a mistakeUpside down, tall, or thin, 3 straight sides closed up make a triangle. A gap or a curve does not.
  • A square is a rectangle tooFixes a mistakeA rectangle has 4 sides and 4 square corners. A square has those too, and all its sides match.
  • Solid shapesSphere, cube, cone, and cylinder, each with a thing from home: a ball, a block, a party hat, a can.
  • Sort by shape, not by sizeFixes a mistakeA big circle and a small circle go together. Big or small, turned or not, the shape stays the same.
  • Same and differentA triangle and a rectangle both have straight sides, but 3 sides or 4. Then which is above, below, or beside.
  • Roll or stackSort the solids: a sphere rolls, a cube stacks, and a cylinder does both.
  • A cube is not a squareFixes a mistakeA square is one flat face. A cube is solid, with a square on every side. A can is a cylinder, not a circle.
  • Shapes all around usA window is a rectangle, a clock is a circle, a ball is a sphere, and a can is a cylinder.
  • Shapes make shapesTwo triangles make a rectangle. Two squares make a rectangle. A square and a triangle make a house.
  • Line up the sidesFixes a mistakeTwo triangles that overlap or leave a gap do not make the rectangle. Their long sides must touch all along.
  • Build a shapeSticks and clay balls build a triangle and a square: count the sticks for sides and the balls for corners, then draw it.

Unit 9: Measuring

Usually taught in May

  • What can we measure?A bucket is tall, it is heavy, and it holds sand: how long, how heavy, and how much it holds.
  • Line up the endsTwo pencils with their ends lined up: the blue one is longer, and the red one is shorter.
  • Higher is not tallerFixes a mistakeA pencil drawn higher up looks taller. Line up the bottoms, and it is the shorter one.
  • Bigger is not always heavierFixes a mistakeA big balloon and a small rock on a balance. The rock's side goes down, so the rock is heavier.
  • Taller does not always hold moreFixes a mistakeA tall thin glass and a short wide bowl. Pour the full glass into the bowl, and the bowl is not even full: the bowl holds more.
  • Measure with paper clipsA pencil is 6 paper clips long, clips end to end with no gaps and no overlaps.
  • No gaps, no overlapsFixes a mistakeClips with gaps count 4, but the pencil is 6 clips long. Clips that overlap count too many.
  • Bigger units, fewer of themThe same book is 10 paper clips long or 5 erasers long. The bigger the unit, the fewer it takes.
  • Days of the weekThe seven days written in order around a loop, so Sunday comes again after Saturday. Yesterday is the day before today, and tomorrow the day after.
  • Morning, afternoon, and eveningA day in three pictures: breakfast in the morning, recess in the afternoon, bedtime in the evening. Brushing teeth comes before bed. A movie takes longer than tying a shoe.
  • Days, months, years, and seasonsA year is 12 months and 4 seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter, then spring again. A day is shorter than a month, and a month is shorter than a year.
  • Warmer or coolerA cup of cocoa and a glass of ice water: the cocoa is warmer, the water is cooler. A bucket and a cup: the bucket holds more.

Watch the lessons with Lux.

With Lux, each lesson is a narrated video and a printed page. Then Lux helps with the same math on your kid's own worksheet.

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