Cut down on workbook use. Kindergartners learn new skills best when they see their usefulness to everyday life. Count the number of children at group time, estimate how many cups are needed for snack time, and sort the blocks and toys at cleanup time. At a Glance Kindergartners use mathematical concepts to compare and quantify all the time, every day. Fives and sixes are using the abstract concepts they've gained to understand concrete situations.
Kindergartners notice patterns and make estimations and predictions.
Formal addition and subtraction can be taught by rote, but most kindergartners don't have the abstract thinking skills to understand what they're doing. Back to top Carla Poole is an advisor in the infant-parent development program at Bank Street College of Education in New York, and a child development specialist at Bellevue Hospital. Susan A. Miller, Ed.D. , a veteran teacher and director, is a professor of early childhood education at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, and author of the Problem Solving Safari series of teaching guides. Ellen Booth Church is an early childhood consultant for the New York State Department of Education and for programs across the country. Read our Privacy Policy Statement .