TOPS Kindergarten Skill Practice Activities

Play, Learn, and Grow, Together!

Kindergarten Skills
Thefollowingactivitieshavebeensortedintosectionsbywhichskillis mostobviouslyapplicable,butifyourstudentsespeciallyenjoya particulargameoractivity,itcanoftenbemodifiedtohelpstudents practiceadditionalskills.

WritingFirstandLastNames p.48
NameBingo AirWriting TastyNames ShaveMyName NameSong DashingNames DecoratingaNameStrip Play with Pasta and Learn to WriteNamesandNumbers HangmanwithNames NameNecklaces: TactileNames WhosinYourName?

ReadItandEatIt SoundSearch AlphabetScramble

Sequencingp.1416
ImHungry:Sequence Sandwiches! AStringofNumbers AVeryHungrySequence

PatternsandSortingp.1728
WhatamIThinking? Canyoumakeit? Copycat What'sHiding? PeoplePatterns MovementPatterns Stamps ColorPatternCards Color Pattern Cards Whats Missing? Patternmatching/recognition Sorting PatternPuzzles

LetterRecognitionp.913
BodyLetterPhotos AlphabetRecognitionGame GOFISHwiththeAlphabet MarcharoundtheAlphabet TheAlphabetYouandMe AlphietheAlphabetWorm EatingtheAlphabetGame ShapeUp!

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Number Recognition p. 28 43
Memory! NumberHunt MathMuffins CountingFingerplay Go Fish and More: Play Games withaDeckofCards GuessMyNumber NumberHunting SimonSays StoryorRhymeGames NumberRace RecognizingtheSymbols Collecting MatchingGames ISpy MyCountingBook What'stheMissingNumber? Balloons NumberMemoryMatchUp CountingCups PassItOn TripleMatch Froggie,HopHome!

Spider Sorry RainbowPuzzles WordMunchers PigsinthePen TicTacToe GoFish MakeandBreak Jeopardy Memory Swat!

Rhymingp.5154
Guessing RhymingandReading RhymeBingo MyDadCameBack ThumbsUp! GoFish RhymeTime

High Frequency and Sight Wordsp.4451

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Writing First and Last Names

NameBingo
Youngchildrenpracticewritingtheirnamesandlearnthelettersofthealphabetastheyparticipateinthis Bingogame Materials:Markers,paperandalphabetflashcardswhichcanbeteachermade. Description: Have each child write his or her name on a piece of paper with a marker. The teacher then [Link]'sname,thechild crossesitoutusinghismarker. Whenallthelettersarecrossedout,heorshewins!Dothisuntilallthechildrenhavewonasticker.

AirWriting
Have your students write letters in the air first and on each others backs. These large muscle movements will help your students process what their friends are writing and make it more likely to stick. As the letter is written on her back, have her saytheletternameorthedirectionsforwritingthe letter. For example, for the letter T, she might say, Start at the top, go straight down. Pick up your pencilandcrossit.

TastyNames
Now that your students have written all of their letters/name onto paper, have them glue Fruity [Link] odd, but working with cheerios and glue helps improve hand dexterity (which works those writing muscles!), plus, it helps kids think about the shape of the letters, and the direction they moved while writing them. Dried corn, macaroni, raisins, or uncookednoodlesalsoworkwellforthispurpose. 4|P a g e

ShaveMyName
For a nonmessy alternative to finger paint,put a bit of shaving cream inside a quart or gallon zipper bag. Remove the air, seal the bag and double the seal with some masking or duct tape. Your students can practice tracing letters and namesontheoutsideofthebag,manipulatingtheshavingcreamwithnomessor cleanup!

NameSong
Preschool and kindergarten children learn how to spell names and states with this song by MargaretT. Materials: Children's names that are five letters and states with 4 or5letterstothetuneof"Bingo". ExampleForNames ThereisachildthatIknowbest AndNoahishisnameoh, NOAH,NOAH,NOAH AndNoahishisnameoh. Comments:Childrenwillgoaroundsingingotherchildrennames.

DashingNames
[Link] print version go to [Link] You can type anything and it will make the dottrace version, but do a print preview and choose landscape to see if it [Link][Link]

DecoratingaNameStrip
[Link], crayonsetcavailableforthemtodecoratetheirnamestrip

PlaywithPastaandLearntoWriteNamesandNumbers
Pasta makes a great dinner, but it can also be used to teach kids proper letter and number formation! In this easy activity youll help your students become aware of the way letters should be formed. Beginning writersoftenapproachletterwritinglikedrawing,tryingtoreplicatetheshapeoftheletterliketheydtry to copy a picture of a sun or moon. They need to be taught that each printed letter is created by using a 5|P a g e

combinationofstraightorcurvedlines,sometimesreferredtoasballand stick letters. In other words, theres a structure to printing! With a little pastaandsomeglueyoucanshowyourstudentshowitsdone. WhatYouNeed: Penne(straight)pasta Elbowormacaroni(curved)pasta Constructionpaper Whiteglue(notagluestick) WhatToDo: [Link] your students name (or a number) on a piece of construction paper. The first letter should be capitalized and the others lowercase. The letters should be at least 3 inches high and have about an inch of space between them, to avoid crowding once your students glues down the pasta. Numbers will belarger. [Link] you point to each letter in your students name or number, ask him if the letter is formed with straightlines,curvedlines,[Link],[Link] D is made with a straight line and a curved line. Show your students how to use penne pasta for the straightlines,[Link],heneedsjustpenneforthe N,butbothpenneandelbowpastatomakeaD. [Link] over the glue (kids need to practice this too!) and have your students use it to trace over the first letter in his name. Once the glue is down, he should place the straight pasta on the straight lines and the curvedpastaonthecurvedlinesuntilhisentirenameiscoveredinpasta

HangmanwithNames
[Link] [Link], if you have been concentrating on names, choose a name and make a dash on the board for every letter in the word. Tell students to look at the amount of letters in the word and to refer to their word banks around the class for ideas. For variety, allow students to guess the word straight up rather than just choosing one possible letter. They love "beating the teacher" and this is a quick game if you only have a fewminutesleftinasession,yetiseducational!

NameNecklaces:
PossibleSkillstoPractice: Writesfirstandlastnameinupper/lowercaseletters 6|P a g e

Numbers125 Sortsobjectsbycolor,bysize,byshape,bykind

Materials: Drypasta,letter,ornumberbeads Sharpie Closeablesandwichbags Yarn Tape

If using pasta, using a Sharpie marker, write one letter per noodle, until youve spelled each students name, or give them numbers to put in order. Put the noodles or letter beads for each student in a ziploc bag along with an appropriate piece of yarn. The yarn should have a small piece of masking tape put around the end of it to form a needle and to keep it from coming unraveled. Label each bag with the [Link]/[Link]:Ifyoutapethe leftendoftheyarntothedesk/table,itwillpreventMANYmishapsofthenoodlesorbeadsslidingoffthe unused end. Modeling for the students before having them do theirs is a good idea. They should understand that the letters have to be put on in the correct order and facing the correct way (not upside/down).Havethestudentsusethenamesonthebagsformodelsaswell.

TactileNames
PossibleSkillstoPractice: Writesfirstandlastnameinupper/lowercaseletters Numbers125

Have students practice writing letters, numbers, and first and last names by filling a cookie sheet or aluminum pie pan with a thin layer of sand (or salt/sugar/flour/oatmeal/pudding). Have them practice writing letters in the with their fingers. If you can give the letters human characteristics, it will be fun!(Forexample,aletterEisastraightlinewithahat,abeltandashoe.) Or:Havestudentsuseplaydoughtoshapetheirletters.

material even more

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WhosinYourName?
PossibleSkillstoPractice: Writesfirstandlastnameinupper/lowercaseletters

Materials Paper Scissors Markers,crayons,orcoloredpencils Instructions 1. Have each student fold a piece of plain white paper in half, print his name along the fold (omitting the parts of any letters that normally go below the line), andthencarefullycutitout. Next, he should unfold the paper and use markers, crayons, or colored pencils to create a critter thatfitstheshapeofhisname.

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Letter Recognition
BodyLetterPhotos
Description: This is a fun activity to do with your class. It will be a day filled with giggles. Go out to the play ground and get your kids in groups of 2 or 3 and have them make there bodies in the shape of the [Link]"letter"[Link] [Link] [Link]!

AlphabetRecognitionGame
Materials: Studentsparticipateinalphabetrace: 1. Place alphabet letters on the floor at one endoftheroom. Line the students up by two's and call outaletter. The students race to the pile and try tobethefirsttofindtheletter. They then return to their group and go totheendoftheline. Thegroupwiththemostletterswins. ABC's(ex:uselarge3"plasticletters)

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Tips:Youcanmodifybyusingtwosetsofletters in two separate piles and have the students start with letter A. Once they retrieve a letter, they return to their group and the next student [Link]. 9|P a g e

* Remember, mix the letters up to ensure recognition. The students love this one and have fun competing. Option: You can also have students practice recognizing their numberswiththisgame.

GOFISHwiththeAlphabet
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ Using alphabet flash cards (2 sets) play "go fish" using the flash cards

MarcharoundtheAlphabet
[Link] whileincludingtheexcitementofastopandgogame! Materials: Plan: Write each letter of the alphabet on large index cards. Be sure to put the capital letter on one side and lowercaseontheother. Spreadthealphabetoutonthefloor. Havethechildrencreateacirclearoundthealphabet. As the teacher plays an upbeat tempo of music (any choice), the children "March Around the Alphabet". Instruct the children to freeze, benddown,andpickup a letter neartheirtoeswhenthemusicstops. Now, the children hold their letter cards way up high and wait for the teacher to call upon them to tellwhatlettertheyhaveintheirhands. TheAlphabetYouandMe 10|P a g e indexcards music

Weplayagamethatwehavecalled,affectionately"YouandMe".Itisagreatwaytothrowinthosesight words.(you and me) I write You and Me, and we keep score with tally marks. It is the class against me. First,[Link]."Today, Iwilltaptwicebeforeyoucananswer."orToday,[Link] italisteninggameaswell. Now, we are ready to begin! I write a lowercase letter and do the things that we decided earlier (i.e. two taps)[Link]. Scoring: There is some judgment in this, but if anyone gives answer before the routine is complete, the teacher gets the point. If I hear most of the correct responses the students get the point. Because it is a group activity, all the kids feel free topitchinandtry. Variation: Once students master the game, start on our sight wordsnext.

AlphietheAlphabetWorm
Take different colored construction paper, trace a plate on 27 sheets the cut them out. Take a big black marker and write the letters of the alphabet on the 26 circles, then with the 27th circle make alphie's facedrawhoweveryou'dlikethentake a paper puncher and punch holes on each end where you want to fasten them [Link]'sface andattachtheletterAandsoonwithtape.

Eating the Alphabet Game

WhatYouNeed
Nothing 11|P a g e

Instructions
To start, the first player says "I'm so hungry, I could eat an apple" (or "alligator" or "anthill"). Then the second player adds a gastronomical delight starting with the letter b: "I'm so hungry I could eat an apple andabathtub."Seeifyourgrouphaswhatittakestobeeatingxylophonesandzebras. Tip: To help little ones, hold up ABC cards and put them down as you eat those letters. Can they remember?

ShapeUp!
Your students probably already grasped the ABC's of clay play: squish, squash, and pound, with the occasional "Not in your mouth!" from you. Give them a new challenge by making laminated cards they can use as guides to form letters, as they'llsurelytellyou,"allbymyownself." To make a set, draw large letters on blank paper. You may want to startwith just threeorfouryourstudentsinitials,say,orA,B,andCandaddtothemover time. Alternatively, draw the letters on stiff paper, such as cardstock. Then your studentscanrollandshapeuptheclayaroundthealphabetforms Variation: Do numbers with your students. Have them put out 3 balls of clay with the number three and shapeitintothenumber.

ReadItandEatIt
To make snack time fun and help your students learn at the same time, bring the incredible, edible alphabet to life with these ABCinspired foods that the you can talk or sing about before they gobble themdown. Ingredients SpellbindingSandwiches: Sandwichesofyourchoice Alphabetcookiecutters LetterCrudits: Rawvegetablessuchaspeppers,celery,andcarrots AlphabetCereal/Gummies 12|P a g e

Instructions 1. Spellbinding Sandwiches: Use alphabet cookie cutters to make sandwiches, or even just plain [Link]'tresisthisowninitialsscripted inPB&J. Alphabetically Delicious: In Susan Meddaugh's delectable "Martha Speaks," alphabet soup turns a mute mutt into an expert elocutionist. For an easier version have students make their name outofalphabetcerealorspoonoutthelettersintheirbowlasyoucallthemout. Letter Crudites: To have fun with these veggie letters, cut vegetables such as peppers, celery, and carrots into strips, then have students use them to spell their name and any other words theyarelearningtorecognize.

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SoundSearch
Clue your students into phonetics with this educational twist on hideandseek. To play, gather up a handful of objects that start with the same letter, such as a banana, boat, boot, and ball. Talk with your studentsaboutthesoundthattheobjectsstartwith(inthiscase,"buh"),thenhavethemclosetheireyes whileyou"hide"[Link]("buhbuhbuh")andchallenge your students to find everything in the room that starts with that sound.

AlphabetScramble
Print each of the 26 letters of the alphabet on a separate sticky note and help your students stick the notes on a wall in order. Have them close their eyes, then switch the letters around. When they open their eyes again, see if they can put the letters back in the right order. (If they need a hint, try singing a round of the ABC song.) When they are ready for a new challenge, encourage them to place each sticky noteonanobjectwhosenamestartswiththeletter,suchas"c"onacabinetor"d"onadoorknob.

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Sequencing

ImHungry:SequenceSandwiches!
Want to help your child take a bite out of sequence? Here's a fun activity that will have him deciphering directions for sandwich making, andlearningaboutsequencealongtheway! Students use a variety of colors of construction paper to make their favorite sandwich. (Or print out the handy sandwich printables at [Link] , or the picnic printable at [Link] (All the ingredients for a perfect picnic are here a basket, plates, sandwiches, cherry pie...even a hungry ant!) and let studentscutandputthemtogether) First,[Link], draw and cut out the things you like to put on your sandwich (example: turkey, lettuce, tomato). White or yellow paper can be used for mayonnaise. Then, they glue their sandwich together. Finally, write down thedirectionsformakingtheirsandwich,orallytellthem,[Link] whilemakingarealsandwich. Extension:SillySandwichEaters:Challengeyourstudentstoputthreecardpicturesequencesinorder,ex. Sequence flashcards. Each time they build a sequence in the correct order, they add another topping to [Link](peanutbutter, picklesandturkey,anyone?)wins!

AStringofNumbers
This colorful, unique necklace is a great way to provide a visual example of number sequences. Materials Tape 14|P a g e

Elasticbeadingthread Ponybeadsinseveralcolors

Instructions 1. Haveyourstudentsexperimentwithafewdifferentnumbersequencesbywritingthemdownon paper. Next,[Link],heshoulddivide the number of numbers in his favorite sequence by a number that comes out evenly. This ensures that you end the necklace with a different color than the one you started with. If there are8numbersinyourchild'ssequence,forinstance,hecoulduse2,4,or8differentcolors. Stick tape to one end of the elastic thread to keep the beads from falling off when he strings them. Now it's time to thread on beads, changing the color for each number in the sequence. For the Fibonaccisequence,youcouldstringon1bluebead,1orangebead,2greenbeads,3pinkbeads, 5yellowbeads,8bluebeads,13orangebeads,21greenbeads,34pinkbeads,andfinishwith55 yellowbeads. Remove the tape, tightly tie together the thread ends, trim them, and the necklace is ready to wear.

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AVeryHungrySequence
This game will get your students out of their chairs. It may even played outdoors on a nice day. Read the storyTheVeryHungryCaterpillarbyEricCarle,oranothersimilarstorysuchasTheGingerbreadMan,that has a series of events, and prepare a set of cards (enough to give each student one card. Read the students the story and after the story is through, ask them to arrange the cards in the same order as in thestory. Have the students tell the story out loud, or read the story as they have arranged it, to the students) and listentoseeif [Link],[Link] mistakehasbeenmade,havethestudentsswitchplacesandreaditagain,eitherfromthebeginningor fromafewsegmentsback. Extension:Allowthemtoarrangethecardsintheordertheywanttomakeuptheirownnewstory.

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Patterns and Sorting

WhatamIThinking?
PossibleSkillstoPractice: (from Mathematics Their Way by Mary BarattaLorton) The purpose of this kindergarten sorting game is to help children focusononesortingcharacteristic. Materials: Twopiecesofdifferentcoloredcardabout8.5"by11" [Link] keysorbuttonsorplastictoyanimals(chooseoneset) Numbers125 Sortsobjectsbycolor,bysize,byshape,bykind Names,copiesandextendspatterns

HowtoPlay: Put one piece of card beside the other with a space betweenthem. [Link],"Thiskeycangoonthispaper."Chooseasilvercoloredkey andsay,"Thiskeycan'tgoonthepaper"andputitontheotherpaper. Sortafewmorekeys,verbalizing,"thiskeycan..thiskeycan't...",thenask,"WhatamI thinking?" [Link],goldkeysareonone pieceofcard,keysthatarenotgoldareplacedontheotherpieceofcard. Whenthechildrengettheidea,[Link] ononepaper,keyswithoutroundholesdonot;keyswithwordsstampedonthemgoonone paper,keyswithoutwordsgoontheother;smallkeysgoononeside,keysthatarenotsmallgo ontheotherside.

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This kindergarten sorting game can be repeated with numerous objects. Buttons are inexpensive and have many different characteristics that can besorted. Buttons that are round go on one card, buttons that are not round go on the other; buttons with four holes go on one card, buttons that do not have four holes go on the other. Wooden blocks workwellforsortingactivitiesaswell.

Teachertipforplayingsortinggames
When playing kindergarten sorting games, do not introduce two ideas at a time. e.g. keys with round holes and keys with square holes. To begin with have the children put keys with round holes on one piece ofcard and keys that do not have round holesgo on the other piece of card. When children grasp this idea, introduce more complexsorting.

Canyoumakeit?
PossibleSkillstoPractice: Sortsobjectsbycolor,bysize,byshape,bykind Names,copiesandextendspatterns

Materials: Lotsofpatternblocks Aworksurfaceforeachstudents(plasticmats,pieceofcardboard;blankarebestas thereislesstodistractthechildren). How to play: Teacher demonstrates and says slowly e.g. "Choose 2 hexagons, 4 trapezoids, 2 triangles, 5 squares, 1 blue rhombus, 3 beige rhombus (begin with just a few shapes). Put them on your Then, "I'm thinking of a bird. Can you make it?" Children make a bird using only the patterns blocks [Link] to make. 18|P a g e mat.

 [Link] children to count and record how many of each block they used to make thebird,thenhowmanyblocksdidtheyusealltogether.

Copycat
Materials: Thinstripoflightweightcardstockabout15incheslongforeachtwostudents. Patternblocksorconstructionpapershapesforeachchild. Howtoplay: [Link] untilhalfthestripofcardiscovered,[Link] othertakesaturncreatingtherepeatpatternandthefirststudentfinishesit.

What'sHiding?
Materials: Athinstripoflightweightcardabout15incheslongforeachstudent Patternblocksforeachchild Playingcardorsimilarshapedcard

Howtoplay: Demonstratefirst. Onestudentcreatesa repeatingpatternona stripofcardandcoversa smallportionofitby holdingaplayingcardover it. Theotherstudentlooksat therepeatingpatternthat isshowingandthentriestoguesswhatpatternblocksareunderthecard. PlayingMathGamesTeacherTips [Link]'tbykeepingastack ofchildren'[Link],puttheirnameonthebottomofthe 19|P a g e

[Link]. [Link]"game"andyouhavethechildren'sattention. 3.Alwaysgivethechildren34minutestoexplorethematerialsandcreatesomethingoftheirownwith thegamematerials,quicklyhavealookaroundthecircletoappreciatewhateveryonehasmade,then startthegame. [Link]. [Link] countingtofive,lethim/herworkwithfiveblockswhileanotherstudentworkswithseven.

PeoplePatterns
Begin each new pattern by making people patterns. Children line up boy/girl, or sit/stand, or happy/sad [Link],suchascoloredconstructionpaperforacolorpattern, orpicturesofanimals.

MovementPatterns
Children do clap, snap, pat, stomp, jump rhythms. For example, AB patterns would be clap, stomp, clap, stomp or clap, pat, clap, pat ABC patterns wouldbeclap,pat,jump,clap,pat,jump

Stamps
Have students use rubber stamps or Bingo Dot Markers to print patterns on a strip of [Link].

ColorPatternCards
These pattern cards can be used with any math counters that are colored. For example, bear counters, dinosaur counters, farm animalcounters,bugcounters,etc.Eachsethas10patterncards. PDFs:[Link] [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link]

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ColorPatternCardsWhatsMissing?
Use a set of pattern cards that have one missing. Children have to figure out [Link] math counters that are colored. For example, bear counters, dinosaur counters, farm animal counters, bug counters, etc. Each set has 10 pattern cards.[Link] [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link] [Link]

Patternmatching/recognition
String some plastic pony beads onto a plastic drinking straw in an easy pattern of alternating colors. Hot glue the first & last beads so they are permanent and won't come off. Provide students with another plastic drinking straw and supply of pony beads in various colors. Have the students attempt to create string(s) of beads to match your sample(s). The straws are easier to thread than string and the samples lay flat on the table. You may want to use colored straws for samples and provide white strawsforthestudentsusesotheyknowrightaway which ones ones.) You where the samples (and wont try to pull off the glued canmakethiseasier/harderbymakingmorecomplicated patterns, ask"whatcomesnextinthepattern,"andsoon.

Sorting
PossibleSkillstoPractice: Numbers125 Sorts objects by color, by size, by shape, by kind 21|P a g e

Names,copiesandextendspatterns

Provide a supply of nuts & bolts, beads, OR different kinds of pasta shapes OR different colors/types of paper clips OR something else that is small and can be sorted. Glue ONE of each major "type" onto an indexcard(Youmaywanttousewideclearpackingtapetoaffixitemstothecardyoucanseethroughit & its more permanent than glue.) Have thechild sort the items by matching them up to the "type cards." Makethisharderbyrequiringthesortstobe"bysizeonly"or"bysizeANDtype"etc. Variations: Glue the "item" onto a spring clothes pin. Clip the pin onto the edge of a small plastic cup then when the student picks an item from the "supply" bucket he needs to drop it into the right cup. It's stillasortingactivity,[Link] themforavarietyofdifferentbagactivities(counting,etc.).

PatternPuzzles
PossibleSkillstoPractice: Numbers125 Sortsobjectsbycolor,bysize,byshape,bykind Names,copiesandextendspatterns

To make the puzzles, print the following pattern pages on cardstock. Cut apart the puzzles pieces and laminate (optional). These puzzles include AB, AAB, ABB, and ABC patterns. They are designed to help children see the "units" in eachpattern.

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Number Recognition
Memory!
Use index cards to create number pairs. Write the same number on two different cards, or write the number on one card and place the corresponding number of stickers on the matching card. Make five to [Link].

NumberHunt
Write several numbers on cards and hide them around the room. For younger kids, place them in locations they can easily find. You can do all the cards with the same number or do different numbers. If you use different numbers, call out one specific number for the child to find. This helps him differentiate betweenallofthenumbersheseesonthewall.

MathMuffins
Yourstudentsrecognizenumbers,countandsortduringthisactivity. Materials: Cupcake paper liners, felt tip marker, poker chips or anythingtheycancountandsort. Description: With a marker, write numbers 110, on the muffin liners, andthenhavethekidscountandsortthatmanyitemsintoeachliner.

CountingFingerplay
Usethisnewtwistonanoldchantinwhichpreschool childrenusemovementandrotecountingskills. Description:Havechildreninyourcircleontheirfeet,geta beatgoingwithaclapandastomp&say"Getyourpotatoes up!Andlet'scount!"Holdupfists(potatoes)tocountwithfingers upasindicated: Onepotato,twopotato,threepotato,four! Well,Imadeabatchofhotpotatoes (bendforwardandstirasinabigpot) Dropped'emonthefloor!! (lookshocked,andputhandsonfaceinsurprise) 28|P a g e

Fivepotato,sixpotato,sevenpotato,eight! SoIstomped'emintomashedpotatoes (stompfeetwhilewalkingforwardafewstepsandthenback) Andplopped'emonaplate (handsoutlikeploppingpotatoesonaplate!) Ninepotato,tenpotato,can'tbelievemyeyes! (coveranduncovereyesinsurprise) Thechildrenate'emupandnowtheywantsomefrenchfries!!! (Saytochildren"howmany?"andmarchwithswingingarmsandstompingfeetwhilecounting...) 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10fries! (jumpupandreachoverheadtoskyon10) "Again??" Dothecountagain,fasterandathirdtimeevenfasterthenplopbackdowntosittingafterthelast10. [Link] intriguingtothemisthefasterandfastercountingtoten.

GoFishandMore:PlayGameswithaDeckofCards
There are many ways to use a deck of cards or index cards promote number recognition. To use index cardsmakemultiple(24)setsofthesamenumbers(ex.115)[Link]: [Link]. [Link]. [Link] number words on index cards and play the game of match the number word to thenumbercard. [Link] Memory with all the cards one throughtenorfifteen..

GuessMyNumber
Kids love to play this game anytime, anywhere. They don't think about the skills they're building, but asking and answering questionsaboutnumbershelpsthemunderstandthecharacteristicsandmeaningsofnumbers. Directions 1. [Link]. 29|P a g e

Child:I'mthinkingofanumberbetweenoneandten Isitbiggerthan7? Isitsmallerthan5? 2. Afteryouguessthenumber,[Link], startwithalowerrangeofnumbers,suchasonetofifteen. [Link] reasoningandjudgment.

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NumberHunting
Hide number flashcards around a room or play area. Have the students find themandplacethenumbersinthecorrectorder.

SimonSays
Givethestudentscommands"Simonsays"[Link] do the action the number of times in correspondence with the card. For example, if you say "jump" and holdupthenumber"2,"thestudentsmustjumptwice.

StoryorRhymeGames
Readastorythathasacountingtheme,suchas"FiveLittleMonkeysJumpingonaBed."Insteadofsaying the number, hold a flashcard with the number on it. Have the students say the number instead. The studentscouldalsocountoutthatnumberofcorrespondingpapermonkeystoeachpartofthestory.

NumberRace
Tape pieces of paper with numbers on them to various locations around a room, backyard or play area. When you call out the number, the students race to the corresponding number. Call out numbers randomly. You can reward correct choices with a corresponding number of something, such as a treat or stickers.

RecognizingtheSymbols
[Link] lettingyourchild see it. Ask them to guesswhich one you have as you gradually expose the numberfrom behind a screen (eg. a book) If your child guesses wrongly explain what the number is. Introduce a few numbersatfirstandbuildupslowly. 30|P a g e

Collecting
Ask the students to bring you a certain number of items by handing him a flashcard. For example, hand thestudentsonemarked"3"[Link]"7"andaskhimto bringyouthatmanyblocks.

MatchingGames
Make groups of items. Have the childplacea corresponding number next to the groupwith that amount. For example, there may be five erasers, seven trucks and 10 balls. Have the child put the correct number flashcardnexttothegroup.

ISpy
Play I spy with your students to identify objects that start with a specific letter or a [Link] that are different colors. For example, you would say, I spy three small green things. Then, your students would look around and guess three things that are green. After about five guesses, tell your students what you were looking at. Continue finding differentobjectsthataredifferentcolorsorstartwithcertainletters,andletyourstudents [Link].

MyCountingBook
Make a blank book for your students by stapling pieces of white paper together with a colored paper cover. Write "My Counting Book" and your students name on the front. Number the pages in the book from 1 to 10 (or higher) Let your students look through magazines or catalogs and tear or cut out small [Link]/herglueonepictureonthefirstpageofthebook,twopicturesonpagetwo,and soon.

What'stheMissingNumber?
[Link] The missing numbers are printed on bingo chips (2X), or use the following sheet. These are placed in a container with blank chips. The children take turns picking the number chips out of the container. They must place it on the correct missing number [Link],thisisplacedbackinto the container and it becomes the other partner's turn. The first person to complete their number game board in the correct order, is the winner. Option: Print out the numbered sheet and cut out the following numbers, have students put them on the blanksheet,inorder. 31|P a g e

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NumberOrderGame

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Balloons
Balloons, will help students learn how to recognize numbers. Each student needs a worksheet with six rows of balloons, where each row has three balloons (see last page). The balloons in Row 1 each have the number 1 inscribed inside, the balloons in Row 2 each have number 2, and so on. Make your [Link] first student rolls the dice. She colors a balloon on her worksheet that matches the number she rolled. Play until each students has at least one balloon from each row colored in. For a more competitive variation, the first student who has a full row of balloons colored in wins. Alternatively, design a game where each player has the same amount of turns, and at the end of the game, students add up the numbers that are colored in; the students with thelargestscorewins.

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NumberMemoryMatchUp
Playing games allows your students to learn, practice and reinforce many usefulskillssuchasfollowingdirections,takingturns,andmakingpredictions. Try this new twist to the traditional memory game to help your kindergartener match number symbols to the correct quantity while sharpeninghermemoryskills! WhatYouNeed: 20indexcards Stickers Coloredmarkers WhatYouDo: You and your students can work together to make the game [Link] make the ten numeral cards. Usingmarkers,writethenumeralsfrom110oneachcard. Next,[Link] [Link],[Link] numeralcardforthenumber5. Once all of the game cards have been made its time to begin playingNumber Memory! Mix up thecards [Link].Make4rowswith5cardsineachrow. Have your students turn over two cards. If the cards are a match (a card with the numeral 3 written on it and a card with a picture of 3 objects), she has a match and can keep the pair. If the cards are not a match,[Link] aturn. Keepplayinguntilallofthematcheshavebeenfound. Your kindergartener will not only practice matching number symbols to quantities, but she will fine tune hermemoryskillsaswell.

CountingCups
One potato, two potato, three potato, four. Who knew that a simple childhood game could help your kindergartenermastermath?Butwhileitmayneveroccurtoyourstudentsthathe'sdoinganythingmore thanplaying,countinggamesareagreatwaytogetyourkindergartenerengagedinmath.

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Take onetoone correspondence, an important skill that is mastered in kindergarten. In a nutshell, onetoone correspondence means students areabletocountagroupofobjects,whiletouchingeachobject,oneata time. (Kind of like that one potato game...) While this concept might seem obvious, it's more advanced than just counting out loud, which is called "rote counting" because it takes things to the next level associating spoken numbers with real objects. Give your students some handsonpracticewithwhatteacherscallgoodnumbersense,withthis easyactivity. WhatYouNeedperset 11papercups markers 55 small objects (like cotton balls, pennies, beans, pasta, jelly beans, screws, or anything else that's fun totouch) WhatToDo: 1. After you've decided on the counting objects, get 11 mediumsized paper cups. Write the numbers 0 [Link] thecupsinorderfromsmallesttobiggest. 2. Give your students a collection of 55 objects. Tell her that the point of the game is to look at the [Link] [Link] herabilitytocountwithonetoonecorrespondence. 3. When your students is finished, empty the cups one at a time and have her check that the number of objectsmatchesthenumberonthecup. Variations:Asyourstudentsdevelopsaccuracyandfluencyworkingwith0to10,increasethenumbersby incrementsoffive,[Link]'[Link] that's comfortable, and go as high as they can. As they get better, pull the cups out in random order. See [Link]!

PassItOn
Roll the dice and play this fun number game! It's a great way to practice number recognition and the skill of following specific instructions. This simple game of chance will help prepare a kindergartner for more advanced games. Work together to remember what each number on the dice represents. Make predictions about who is going to win based on the

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patterns you see in the game. Ready for a challenge? Let your students alter the directions. Write down theinstructionsandusethemtoplayanewround! WhatYouNeed: Fivestandarddice(ormakeyourown.) Onecup Fivepokerchipsforeachplayer(Orselectanappropriatesubstitute,suchascoinsordriedbeans) WhatYouDo: Players take turns rolling all five dice. Then, follow the instructions below according to the numbers shownoneachoneofthedice. 6Putachipinthecup. 5Passonechiptotheplayerontheleft. 4Passonechiptotheplayerontheright. 1,2,or3Don'tdoanything. If the number of chips in a player's possession is less than 5, they should roll a number of dice equal to thechipstheyhave.(e.g.Iftheyhave2chips,theyshouldroll2dice.)Ifaplayerhasnochips,theycannot rollthedice,buttheycanstayinthegamehopingtobepassedchipsonanotherplayer'sturn. Playcontinuesuntiloneplayerhasallofthechips(exceptforthechipsinthecup,thatis).Thewinneris awardedallofthechipsinthecup.

TripleMatch
There'smorethanonewaytowritea"1."Itcouldbeasinglepicture, the number "1," or even the word "one!" Being able to recognize numbers in all their forms is fundamental to future math success. Here's an activity to help your students see numbers in three ways so he can learn that numbers can be written in different forms. Not only will your students get valuable practice writing and recognizing number names, but he'll also get to refine his small motor skills with this game! WhatYouNeed: 30indexcards,white Markers,crayons,orcoloredpencils 38|P a g e

stickers Handwipes WhatYouDo: [Link];coloredcardscanbedistracting. [Link] number cards: ask your students to take 10 index cards and, with the cards positioned vertically, [Link], crayons,orcoloredpencils. [Link] make number word cards: Ask your students to take another 10 blank, index cards and help him write out the number words (one, two, three, and so on), one per card from 110. Help your studentstomatchthecolorofthenumberwordswiththeirrespectivenumbercardfromthefirststackof indexcards(i.e."one"and"1"arebothwritteninred). [Link] it's time to make counting cards: have your students take the last 10 index cards, and put the correct number of dot stickers on the card to match each number from 110. Again make sure to match thecolorsonthesecardswiththecolorsfrompreviousstacks. [Link],it'stimetoplay"TripleMatch!" [Link] all the cards face down and try to find matches three ways: "one," "1," and one painted dot, for instance.

Froggie,HopHome!
Froggie wants to get home, but there are so many lily pads and flowers on the way! Heres a simple game you and your kindergarten students can make together to teach counting and the number line whilehavingagoodtimetogether. Materials: Twoemptymatchboxes Two small frogs (you can get plastic ones at any party store, or make little ones yourself from circles of green construction paper glued onto a bottle cap) Plainwhitebannerpaper 39|P a g e

Markers Cardboardshoeboxlidorsodapoptray TemperaPaint,brush Glue Onedie WhattoDo: [Link] plain white butcher paper or cardstock to make your game. Or line a box lid or cardboard tray, and [Link]. [Link] adifferentcolor. [Link] the matchboxes down on one end of the game tray. The goal will be to help the froggies hop intotheirmatchboxhomes. [Link] help your students draw two routes from the far end of the box to the matchbox. To form each route, helpyour students draw a hopping path of 1 leaves, broken up every 34 leaves or so by a flower or two. Try to twist and turn your path so that you have at least 20 leaves to land on. Number the leaves on each route with blocknumbersfrom120. [Link] turns rolling the die. Froggie can advance by whatever number shows upbut if he hits a flower, he must back up to the nearest leaf, or fall in the muck! [Link]. Throughout kindergarten, a key math skill is the ability to match abstract numbers to real objects in sequence. Students can recite numbers by rote, but theres nothing like seeing and touching real objects to bring understanding to the subject. The other benefit of this activity is the process of creating it: kindergarteners get lots of practice with scissors, markers, and fine motor coordination as they learn to write. With luck, froggie will sleep safe andsoundattheendofthisgameandyourstudentswillfeelthatmuchmoresecureintheirmathskills, too. Thefollowingcanbeusedasplayingpieces: 40|P a g e

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High Frequency/ Sight Words

Spider
[Link] spider at the end. The students draw one stick at a only one turn. If they can read it they keep it. the person that draws the spider (or who has words they have read) Also use them for flash cards. You can also use them to play Concentration,Fish,andOldMaid. stick draw a time and get The winner is the most individual

Sorry
This game is similar to the spider game above. The words are written on popsicle sticks. One stick has the word sorry on it. One student takes a stick. The student must say the word, spell it and then hand it to another child. Then the student that [Link] [Link] tosetatimerfor3to5minutesforeachgame.

RainbowPuzzles
Puzzles are fun, and guess what? They're also a great way to help your students learn to read! Your studentsareprobablyalreadylearningaboutsightwordsshortwordsthatappearagainandagaininour language that students should recognize instantly. With this activity, you can easily turn sight words (and/or first and last names, or number words) into beautiful rainbow puzzles for your emergent reader to reassemble. WhatYouNeed: Constructionpaper Envelopes 44|P a g e

Markersinassortedcolors Scissors WhattoDo: Writethesightword,firstorlastname,ornumberword,onapieceofpaper. A typical kindergarten sight word list may include words such as: I, see, am, the, me, my, like, go,have, do, but,no, said, on, make, you, a, it, is,play, we, can.Makethelettersabout2"highand1"apart. Outlinethelettersinoneortwodifferentcolorssoeachletterhasarainbow effect. Use bright colors like red and yellow, blue and purple, or green and orange! Cutouteachletterinafunzigzagorjigsawformat. Put the finished puzzle into an envelope. Write the word on the outside of the envelope to store the puzzle and so your students can use it as a visual aideasshe'ssolvingit. Hand your students the envelope and dump the letters onto the floor or table. Mix up the pieces, and thenchallengehertoputthepuzzlebacktogether!Recognizingthelettersandstringingthemtogetheris animportantstepforyouremergingreader,andthiscolorfulpuzzleisafunwaytopractice!

WordMunchers
[Link] robot. The children spin a spinner and they take that many words out of the pile. Then they say each [Link] [Link].

PigsinthePen
PossibleSkillstoPractice: PhonemicAwarenessRhymingBeginningSounds HighFrequencyWordsa,and,are,but,can,come,do,from,go,has,have,he,here,I Numbers125 Sortsobjectsbycolor,bysize,byshape,bykind

Startwiththewordswrittenallovertheboardorwritethe [Link] boardandhangthepigsontheboardandsaysomethinglike, [Link]

have
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[Link], callsapig,[Link] [Link] tohaveaturn. Tochangethewordsontheincludedpigsheets,justclickinthespacebytheword,deletethatword,and typeanewone. Otheroptions:Haverhymingwordpairs(amommaandbabypig)havestudentsfindthemothersand [Link] ourboardlastnight...[Link] [Link]'vedrawnontheboard,etc. Usepostitnotes,[Link] them.

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do

from

go

has

have

here

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and

are

but

can

come

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TicTacToe
Makea tic tactoe board on the computer then write the words in the spaces... sight words, number words, word families, etc. (a, and, are, but, can, come, do, from, go, has, have, he, here, I ) Then laminate or put them in a clear sheet protector. The kids can use whiteboard or overhead markers and then wipe off with a tissue. BeforetheyXorotheyhavetosaytheword.

I here but

are and do

can have come

GoFish

To Make: Select 10 20 words that you want the students to practice. Print them clearly and boldly on separate 3x5 inch index cards, making pairs of each word. (Children may help by copying the words you write.)Twotofourplayerscanplaycomfortably. To Play: Shuffle and deal 3 5 cards to each player. Place the rest of the deck face down. Players take turns asking each other for a card to match one held in his or her hand. If the opponent has a matching card, it is givenover,[Link] opponentdoesnothaveamatch,heorshesaysGoFish and the player draws from the remaining deck of cards, and the next player takes a turn. Each time a player has a match, he or she reads the words, and puts down the pair,[Link].

MakeandBreak
Use plastic letters to make and break highfrequency words. Distribute the appropriate letters to all [Link] make the word with their plastic letters. Have students read the word. Then, erase the word from the board. Have students scramble their plastic letters and try to build the word again. Speak the word as they do so, separating it into phonemes if necessary. Have students read the word they have made to checkthatitiscorrect.

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"Jeopardy"
[Link]. One student mentally chooses a word and gives a clue about it: "This word begins with a b."Thestudentcancontinuetogiveclues("Itrhymeswithtall.")untilanotherstudentis [Link].

Memory
Create two of each highfrequency word card. Lay the cards face down on the floor. Students take turns trying to match identical words. The student with the most pairs wins.

Swat!
Divide students into two teams, each standing on one side of the word wall. Give the first student in each team a flyswatter. Read a word from the word wall. The first team to swat the word gets a point. The swatter then passes theflyswattertothenextteammember.

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Rhyming

Guessing
Startthelessonwithaguessinggametointroducetheconceptofrhyming words. Tell the children to close their eyes and try to think of the animal that youre describing. Give them several hints, ending with awordthattheanimalsnamerhymeswith. For example, you might say, Im thinking of an animal with whiskers and a long tail. This animal likes to catch mice. Its name rhymes with the word pat. Raise your hand if you know [Link],Imthinkingof an animal who sleeps through the long winter. This animal is very large, and sometimes it likes to eat honey. Its name rhymes with the word hair. Raise your hand if you know what the animal is. Encourage students to raise their hands and not call out, so that everyone can have time to think. After they guess an animal correctly, stress the rhyming word: Thats right. Cat rhymes with [Link]. Extension: Have the children finish sentences with rhyming words. For example, say, "The mouse lives in the"Thechildrenmustfinishwiththecorrectrhymingword,whichis"house"inthisexample.

RhymingandReading
Read students a book that uses rhyming words, such as Chica Chica Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault or Each Peach Pear Plum by Allen and Janet Ahlberg. The first time you read the book, stress the rhyming words, but do not comment on them. After reading the book, mention to the children that the book contains many pairs of rhymes. Tell them that you will be reading through the book again, and this time the children should raise their hands when they hear a pair of rhyming words. As studentsraisetheirhands,askthemtoidentifytherhymethattheyheard.

RhymeBingo
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Cut out pictures from the word families section of a phonics workbook to create a bingo board. (Make surethepicturesarealleasytoidentify.)Passoutthepicturestochildren,keepingonepicturefromeach word family taped to the board. Go around the room, having each child identify the picture on the card andmatchingitwiththerhymingwordontheboard.

MyDadCameBack
PossibleSkillstoPractice: PhonemicAwarenessRhymingBeginningandEndingSounds

Teachyourstudentsthislittlerhymingsongandgetthemtohelpyourhyme [Link] kidsmovingandhelpyourkinestheticlearners. Mydadcameback fromBermuda. Andhebroughtmeback alittleBuddha. Mymomcameback fromNewYorkCity Andshebroughtme alittlekitty. Seattle...toyrattle Farm...withabrokenarm town...clown,gown,brown Variation:Addinincreasingnumbersasyougo,orholdupanumberorcolorflashcardasyousaywhat wasbroughtback. Mydadcameback fromBermuda. Andhebroughtmeback onelittleBuddha. Mymomcameback fromNewYorkCity Andshebroughtme alittlebluekitty. Seattle...toyrattle Farm...withabrokenarm town...clown,gown,brown

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ThumbsUp!
PossibleSkillstoPractice: Phonemic Awareness Rhyming Beginning andEndingSounds

Saythreewordsandiftheyrhymestudentsmustgiveathumbsup,iftheydon'ttheymustgiveathumbs down. This game is a great way to develop your students listening skills. Here are some examples of wordsyoucanuse:hat,mat,[Link],glad,mommy. Variation: Say two words that rhyme and one that doesnt in a row, then have students pick out which onedoesntrhyme.

GoFish
To Make: Select 10 20 rhyming words that you want the students to practice. Print them clearly and boldly on separate 3x5 inch index cards, making pairs of each word. (Children may help by copying the words you write.)Twotofourplayerscanplaycomfortably. To Play: Shuffle and deal 3 5 cards to each player. Place the rest of the deck face down. Players take turns asking each other for a card to match one held in his or her hand. If the opponent has a matching card, it is givenover,[Link] opponentdoesnothaveamatch,heorshesaysGoFish and the player draws from the remaining deck of cards, and the next player takes a turn. Each time a player has a match, he or she reads the words, and puts down the pair,[Link]. Instead of matching words, rhyming words can be used. In this case, players ask for "a word that sounds like 'night'..." At the end, the students can earn extra points by dictating or writing additional words that rhymewiththebasewords,orcreating"silly"sentencesusingtherhymes. Helpthestudentsthinkofotherwordsthathavethispattern. Youmayhavetowriteafewwordsforhimorher:/P> sack pack stack

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andthenhavethestudentsreadthewholewordandunderlinetherepeatedpartoftheword:"ack." [Link] the first letter of the word (for example: 's' in sack) to make a new word such as: "pack." You should be suretoprovidealimitednumberofletters(twoorthreeatfirst)forthestudentstochoosefrom.

RhymeTime
PossibleSkillstoPractice: Phonemic Awareness Rhyming Beginning Sounds High Frequency Words a, and, are, but, can, come, do, from, go, has, have, he, here,I

Here is a game that exercises your mind. You can makeupawordifyou'reinabind. WhatYouNeed Pens Paper Hatorbag

Instructions [Link],putthemintoahat,andmixthem up. [Link]. Have one of the children pick a word from the hat. That student says the word out loud and then each studentshastocomeupwithawordthatrhymeswiththewordthatwasoriginallypulledoutofthehat. [Link] saidoriscompletelystumped. At the end, the students can earn extra points by dictating or writing additional words that rhyme with thebasewords,orcreating"silly"sentencesusingtherhymes. Helpthestudentsthinkofotherwordsthathavethispattern. Youmayhavetowriteafewwordsforhimorher:/P>

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sack pack stack andthenhavethestudentsreadthewholewordandunderlinetherepeatedpartoftheword:"ack." [Link] the first letter of the word (for example: 's' in sack) to make a new word such as: "pack." You should be suretoprovidealimitednumberofletters(twoorthreeatfirst)forthestudentstochoosefrom.

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