Look how BIG my tower is! I want MORE candy! How much LONGER are we going to be in the car? From the time little ones can talk, they are already comparing quantities without even knowing it! Kindergarten students love to compare numbers and this digital activity is a fun, engaging, way for them to practice!
This digital activity is a wonderful addition to any lesson plan where students need extra practice comparing numbers! Use it during small group instruction, assign it to students to individually complete, or make it a math game! The possibilities are endless!
What Skills Do Kindergarteners Need To Compare Numbers?
Once learners master the skills of number recognition, counting, and one to one correspondence they are ready to compare numbers!
One important skill that students need to have when comparing numbers in kindergarten is recognizing symbols. They need to have knowledge of an equals sign, as well as greater than and less than symbols (also known as inequality symbols).
Students should recognize the following symbols and what they mean:
- The symbol < means less than.
- The symbol > means greater than.
- The symbol = means equal to.
Symbols can be tricky for little learners! If you learner is struggling with symbols try this helpful trick to remember greater than and less than signs!
- Alligator method: Have you learner imagine the symbol is an alligator’s mouth. When its mouth is open, the wide open part of the mouth should be toward the greater number because the alligator is VERY HUNGRY and wants to eat whatever the biggest amount is!
This cloud themed Comparing Numbers 1-10 Digital Activity is great practice for any Kindergarten math student learning to use less than, greater than, or equal to signs!
Why Do Kindergarteners Need to Know How to Compare Numbers?
Many children from a young age are great at rote counting! This means they can verbally count numbers in sequential order!
While that is a wonderful skill for little learners to have, it does not tell much about their number sense and knowledge about what numbers mean.
By learning the skill of comparing numbers, students are able to demonstrate that they can associate an amount with a number! If they have mastered that skill then they will able to tell if a number is greater than or less than when comparing two numbers.
Comparing numbers is the start of teaching students to relate numbers to one another. This will in turn make learning other math concepts easier!
Other Ways To Use This Activity:
The awesome thing about this activity is it can be modified for any level learner who is working on comparing numbers!
- Provide counters or another manipulative like unifix cubes for your little learner to count out if they are struggling with identifying the value of the numbers.
- Encourage your students to use tools they are familiar with to help them! Ten frames, a number line, tally marks, and drawing pictures are all useful tools!
- Print this activity and make it into a comparing numbers game for your students at a math center!
If your Kindergartener has mastered comparing numbers here are some other skills you can practice:
- Addition! (If you add the numbers together what would the sum be? How many are there altogether?)
- Subtraction! (How many more is this number than that number? What is the difference between the two numbers?)
How To Use This Digital Activity:
Check your email and get the link to this digital activity!
When you click on the link you will choose the image on the left for Google Slides and choose the image on the right for Seesaw.
If you are downloading the Google Slides version you will be prompted to “Make a copy”. This is an important step you need to complete to make sure you get an editable version to share with your students!
Once you share the activity with your students via Google Slides or Google Classroom they will be able to interact with the activity!
Visit the Digital Resource page for tutorials on how to share this activity with your students using Google Slides or Google Classroom!
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