16 Addition Activities for Kindergartners (2023)
Wait… math can be fun?
I didn’t believe it either.
Math wasn’t my strongest subject in school. I used to have a negative attitude about any math-related activity.
But after finding the 15 engaging activities you will learn about below, teaching/playing my daughter, and having an adult perspective, I can honestly say, I changed my mind about math!
Today, we are going to focus only on ADDITION ACTIVITIES. But don’t worry, you can find a link to my subtraction article below:
- 15 Proven Subtraction Activities For Kindergartners! (Coming Soon)
How can YOU make addition FUN but SIMPLE, so your child is interested in learning?
I recommend doing these THREE things!
- Do one activity once a week
- Find exciting activities to practice their skills
- Be your child’s biggest cheerleader!
By the way, I am not a math teacher!
Far from it. I am just a mom who loves teaching my kids. So, EVERYONE CAN DO THIS! You don’t have to be a teacher to do these activities with your kids.
I hope you enjoy my 15 Proven Addition Activities YOU can try today!
A. Manipulatives
Using manipulatives is the best thing to use so that kindergarteners will start to understand addition!
Why?
First, it keeps their interest, which is an essential part when learning a new skill!
And second, because it helps them understand the part-part-whole concept.
You are probably wondering, is she speaking English?!
Believe me, I didn’t know what the part-part-whole concept was until I started doing some research into the best addition activities for kids.
The part-part-whole concept means that two things can be added up to equal a whole.
Take a look at this video to learn more!
Next, let’s dive into some awesome manipulative activities you can use!
Activity #1: Mini Eraser Activity
I had no idea that mini erasers were such a hot commodity in the elementary world for teaching math.
CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR HOLIDAY MINI ERASER WORKSHEETS!
But when I started doing my research on addition activities, I realized how awesome erasers are to use to learn math.
By the way, Target has cheap and seasonal mini-erasers in the dollar section, depending on what time of year you are shopping, so take a look there too!
My kids both went CRAZY over these mini erasers and were interested immediately in playing with them.
The above activity is from Teacher’s Pay Teachers for FREE from Teaching With Miss Marissa. You will also need apple mini-erasers.
How To Do This Activity:
1. Choose which numbers to add together by spinning a spinner, rolling dice, or just randomly choosing numbers!
2. Cut out the numbers that you need and place them on the board.
3. Have the child count out how many erasers that they need.
4. Add them together to solve the problem!
Activity #2: Play-Doh Addition Frames
Do anyone else’s kids jump for joy when you ask them if they want to play with Play-Doh?
I found this activity on Teachers Pay Teachers from the store Playfully Primary.
This activity did cost just a little bit of money, but it was worth it to me because I know that I’ll be using it over the next couple of years with both my kids.
How to do this activity:
1. Find the problems that you want your child to work on, print them, and cut them out.
2. Choose 2 different colors for each problem.
3. Have them create the number of small Play-Doh Balls and place them in the frames.
4. Have them recite the equation, so they understand how to say it correctly and solve the problem!
5. Bonus skill: work on handwriting skills by having them write the answer.
Activity #3 Counting Cubes
To do this activity, you will need counting cubes and the Rainbow Cube Counting Activity!
Click Here For Your FREE Rainbow Counting Cube Addition Worksheet.
This activity focuses on making a sum of 10 to work on the part-part-whole concept.
Want to see what this activity is all about?
Check out my video for directions!
Activity #4: Play-Doh Number Cut-Outs
Another Play-Doh activity?
YES! Seriously, my kids love the stuff, so I try to keep their interests in mind as much as possible.
Do you think my kids are excited about every activity we do?
Of course not!
So, when I am working with them, I try to give them an incentive. In this case, the motivation was to do the addition problems with the Play-Doh, then we could play with the rest of the Play-Doh toys we have after they were done!
Sometimes, we all need incentives to get some work done, right?Â
I recently bought number and letter play-doh cut-outs for fun learning activities for both my kids.
Play-Doh is a great way to get kids excited to do some academic work, and it’s also a great way to reward them for the great job they did by playing and having fun afterward!
Activity #5: Pom-Pom Ice Cream Fun!
Pom Poms are so much fun! Just take a look at what can happen after doing some math.
Before the chaos broke out, we did an ice cream addition activity. I drew some ice cream cones and put the addition problems underneath the cones.
We sorted the Pom Poms by color, so it made it easier to put them on the worksheet. She chose two different colors to add together to find the answer.
Activity #6: Roll and Add
Does your child love to play games?
If so, this is a simple and fun activity that only requires a pair of dice to complete!
This FREE activity came from the store My Teaching Pal on Teachers Pay Teachers.
How to do this activity:
1. Have your child roll both pieces of dice.
2. Have them count and write down both numbers that they see on each piece of dice.
3. Have them count on their fingers to find the solution to the problem.
Activity #7: Shopping Cart Addition
One of my daughter’s favorite activities to play at home is to have a pretend store where my husband and I “buy” her toys and give her fake money.
Playing store is an excellent way for you to start teaching your kids about money!
How to do this activity:
1. Gather some food toys or little toys around your house that your children enjoy playing with, as well as a piece of dice.
2. Have them roll the dice once and count out that number of toys and place them in the shopping cart.
3. You can write the number in the first box or they can to work on handwriting skills!
4. Roll the dice again and place that amount in the shopping cart and write the number in the second box.
5. Add the two numbers together and write the solution in the last box.
6. Do this over and over again with dry-erase reusable pocket folders!
DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE SHOPPING CART ADDITION AND COUNTING WORKSHEET HERE!
Activity #8: Counting Cubes
When I buy a product for my kids to use, I want to make sure there are several ways it can be used, so it’s not a waste of my money.
The counting cubes were definitely worth the money because there is an endless amount of math activities where they can be used.
I used the rainbow play-doh addition blank sheet that I purchased from Playfully Primary to complete this activity.
How to do this activity:
1. Have all your sets of counting cubes out so your child can pick a variety of colors to keep their attention.
2. Either use the worksheet from Playfully Primary or write down your own addition problems.
3. Use two different colors for each problem.
4. They will add both the colors up by counting the cubes and write the answer on the line.
Activity #9: Candy Graphing
Is your child just not into all these different math manipulatives? I get it; it may not intrigue some kids.
But, I do know what thing would get almost any kid interested in doing some math activities.
CANDY!
What grabs your attention? FREE DOWNLOADS?! Yes!!
Click HERE for the Valentine Hearts Graphing Worksheet
Click HERE for the &M Graphing Worksheet.
Both my daughter and I enjoyed this activity because it’s a little different than the other ones that I listed because of the graphing aspect.
How to do this activity:
1. Pour out half a bag of M&M’s and have your child first sort them by color to make it easier to graph.
2. Have your child place the M&M’s on the worksheet in the correct color columns.
3. Work alongside them to answer the 10 questions by adding up 2 colors at a time!
Activity #10: Fishin’ For Addition
My kids LOVE goldfish crackers, so when I came across this activity, I knew I had to try it. Plus, it’s adorable!
This activity is FREE, and I found it from Glitter and Glue 4 K-2.
How to do this activity:
1. Print both the addition sheet and goldfish bowl worksheets out.
2. You need to have a paperclip to use it as a spinner, or you can choose numbers, but the paperclip adds some extra fun!
3. Have your child spin the paperclip, and whatever number it lands on will be written on the lines.
4. Have your child count out as many goldfish as they need. The first line number should go in the first bowl, and the second lined number should go in the second bowl.
5. To find the solution, have them either count the goldfish or count on their fingers. They should write the answer on the line!
Activity #11: Marshmallow Mania
It doesn’t have to be wintertime to have hot chocolate and marshmallows!
Marshmallows will hook your kids into this addition activity immediately.
For this activity, you will need this FREE Hot Cocoa Addition Worksheet, a bag of mini marshmallows and markers. Personally, I like to use thin markers, because it’s easier for kids to write with since it’s more like a pencil.
How to do this activity:
1. Print off how many addition problems you would like to do from the free download.
2. Have your child read the math problem out loud and talk about how many marshmallows you need to place on the sheet first based on the number provided. Then, they can add the second amount of marshmallows.
3. Have them either count the marshmallows or count on their fingers to figure out the solution.
4. There is no line to write the answer; I just drew an equals sign and had my daughter write the answer with the marker on the cup.Â
B. Math Games
Making learning FUN is the best way to get kids interested in participating, even if it’s only for a few minutes a day.
I promise the following games will get your children excited to do addition!
Does your child have a hard time sitting and completing work?
I was one of those kids!! I understand it’s hard to sit and concentrate for long periods. That’s why these games are great for all learners because they are exciting and keeps them moving!
Activity #12: Locomotor Addition
Since I am a physical education teacher, I try to incorporate moving when I’m teaching my kids as much as possible.
In this locomotor addition game, all you need is sidewalk chalk!
You wouldn’t believe how many kids I have come across in all my years of teaching that don’t know how to do simple locomotor skills. Most of the time, they need to practice more!
Here are the skills I recommend doing with this activity:Â
A. Skipping (step, hop, step, hop)
B. Hopping
C. Galloping
D. Side sliding
E. Jumping
F. Running
Check out this video if you are interested in learning how to do this activity at your home!
Activity #13: Dinosaur Addition
I was surprised by what big of a hit this game was with my daughter. Some activities that we do, we only work on them for a few minutes, but this game she wanted to play over and over!
What you need to play this game:
- Dice/ spinner
- Two objects to play with (we used trolls, mini dinosaurs would be the best)
- FREE Dinosaur Addition Worksheet by Everyday Chaos and Calm.
Memorization is good for kids when they are learning these easier math facts. That’s why this game is excellent for beginners because it’s just addition problems from 1-3!Â
How to play:
1. Have your child roll the dice or spin the spinner to take their first turn. They should move that many spaces and say the math problem out loud.
2. If they can solve the problem, GREAT! They can stay on that space. If they get the question incorrect, they move back one space.
3. You can take turns with them if you are playing with them or they can keep taking turns. I played with my daughter; she always likes to play against us in games 🙂
4. The object of the game is to be the first one to get to the YOU WIN space. If they are into it, you can play as many times as you want!
Activity #14: Duck Addition
Out of all the activities that we did, this duck addition game was by far the fan favorite, with both kids!
You need plastic ducks, a kiddie pool, and my FREE Duck Tally Addition Worksheet.
How to do this activity:
1. Before you start the exercise, write numbers 1-10 on the ducks in black sharpie. I couldn’t write on the black ducks; I just used those and had them count as 0.
2. Put all the ducks in the kiddie pool and have your child select the first duck of their choice!
3. Once your child picks up the first duck, have them say what number they chose and have them create enough tally marks for that number.
*If this is the first time you are showing your child about tally marks, explain to them how they work so they can write them the correct way, especially if the number gets over the number 5.
4. Once they write the tally marks for the first number, repeat the steps for the second number.
5. Have them count up the tally marks to find the solution and have them write the number beside their tally marks!
Activity #15: Bean Bag Frenzy
Games that involve whole-body learning are my favorite, and believe me; it’ll be your kid’s favorite too.
Bean Bag Frenzy involves underhand/overhand throwing while working on addition skills.
For this activity, you need sidewalk chalk and bean bags.
Check out this video to see how to play Bean Bag Frenzy!
Activity #16: Starfall Activities
Have you ever considered joining an online learning program for your kids to use on the computer?
We use a program called Starfall, it does have a yearly fee, but it’s affordable and in my opinion, worth the money.
I love it because it gives young kids experience using the mouse and learning how to play learning games on the computer. In kindergarten, most schools have a computer class your child will take, so they will be ahead of the game if you start them early!
Want a sneak peek into what Starfall has to offer for addition and some other math activities? Take a look at this video!
Final Thoughts and Conclusions
Other than number recognition, addition will most likely be the first introduction to math that your child will have, so it’s important to make it a fun experience!
It can be challenging for kids to understand how to get the answer to ALL the different math equations.
But once they start understanding how to come up with the answer, whether that be memorization, counting on their fingers, or counting the objects, they will gain more confidence.
Then, you can start adding more equations for them to try!
If you decide to do one of these activities at home, I’d love to hear how it went!
What are some addition activities that you do with your child that have been successful?
Please share them with us by leaving a comment below.Â
