What is the one question I get asked more than any other? How do you set up centers for kindergarten? (or any grade!) In particular, math and literacy centers. It seems there is a lot of information out there on literacy centers, but little on math centers. So this post will give you some insight into how we run our math centers.
Some things you will see throughout this post and our center management system are: Choice and freedom!
To keep our kindergarten centers running smoothly and my kids engaged, I give up control! Yes, people, in order to keep control, I give up control! You’ll see what I mean and why it works…
The key to our center management system is THE CENTER WHEEL!
The wheel is a simple visual way for my students to know which math center/workstation/hippopotamuses they go to. It’s kid-friendly. It’s teacher-friendly.
The wheel is divided into 4 sections because I have 4 groups. The wheel is color-coded to match my math center groups. The color coding makes it easy for the kids and for me to know which centers they can do that day. It’s just another visual support!
The groups are NOT the same as my small math groups. My center groups and small groups are skill-based and are based on current data and student needs. The groups are fluid and change as needed.
When my students are working in their math centers, I call students by name to go to their table for small-group instruction. They leave their center work/activity where it is, come to my table, and have a small group time. When we finish, they go back to their center.
The Process: How Math Centers Work!
- Check the basket. If there is any unfinished center work, you must finish it.
- Check the wheel. The wheel tells you what your 2 choices are for the day.
- Get to work!
Check the basket.
The basket holds unfinished center work from the previous day or days. If you’re working in a center and the clean-up song comes on, you put your recording sheet in the basket. The next day, when you go to the centers, you check the basket. If you have work, you MUST complete that activity. When there is nothing to finish, you check the wheel. And if someone else is doing that activity, you join them.
Check the wheel!
The center wheel is the boss. It tells you what you can do that day. Mr. Greg does not tell you. And Mr. Greg does not know. Mr. Greg is not a wheel. You must check the wheel. This is intentional, so students are independent at center time. For example, Adelynn is in the pink group. She checks the wheel. And she sees pink has two choices: Math, The Room, and Math Tubs. She can choose either one of those. It’s HER choice. She gets to make a decision so she has buy-in. Engagement. Empowerment. This means less behavior issues.
Adelynn chooses Math The Room. Let’s say she finishes her Math The Room activity. She has more choices: she can do Math The Room again or go to her math tubs. If she finishes a tub, she can do it again, pick another tub, or go back to Math The Room. That choice is what keeps them engaged and limits boredom.
They’re free to move between their two choices for the day. But they cannot consider other options. This gives them a choice AND eliminates the early-finisher problem. No one ever finishes a center. They finish an activity, but not the centers. It’s impossible to finish all the activities. This is HUGE because early finishers mean more work for us. More prep. More planning. And more behavior.
And we do not transition or rotate. That’s a waste of time. We need that time for small groups. The two choices keep the kids working and engaged. Even for an hour. No need to rotate.
Our math centers are: math tubs, math the room, ten frames/graphing, light box/sensory bin/dramatic play.
Math Centers: Math Tubs
The tubs are where we practice our current and past math skills. These really are the heart of center time. You see the same color coding. So Adelynn is in the pink group, so she can choose any pink tub. There I must day/can do/might do. No tracking which tubs she does. She can repeat tubs. All of that is micromanagement, and we don’t have time for that. Those things are what make centers so stressful. Let it go. LET IT GO. The tubs ard targeted and differentiated so whatever Adelynn chooses is something she needs to practice.
Each tub is 1 activity with recording sheets. There is no expectation to finish all the tubs. Again, don’t micromanage centers.
There is a link at the end of the post for how we made our math tubs shelf. BUT, this year we’re going back to the very original way of how this system started 15 years ago. I don’t have space for the shelf, so we’re using plastic bins. Same idea. Same concept. They just choose a bag from their bin instead of a tub.
Math The Room/Count The Room
When the wheel says MATH THE ROOM, you go to the math the room basket. There are usually multiple themes for counting the room or multiple skills (count, add, etc) so students have a choice. They choose a paper and get to work. (Check the links at the end of this post for more details on this activity!)
Math Center Choices: Ten Frames And Graphing
In our ten-frame and graphing center, there are ten-frame cards and graphing activities. Both provide hands-on practice with 1-to-1 correspondence. There are multiple choices/themes in each one, so students have lots of choices.
These change monthly. Students use mini erasers or manipulatives for the ten-frame cards.
Sensory Bin, LightBox, and Dramatic Play
The lightbox and sensory bin offer sensory learning while practicing math skills. Each will have a math skill, such as numbers, counting, addition, subtraction, etc.
The dramatic play center isn’t necessarily math-specific, but each theme includes ways for kids to practice math skills: counting, money, comparing, sorting, etc.
Math Centers: FAQ
How long are math centers? Math centers last for 30-40 minutes!
How often do you change the activities/centers? I change the activities once a month. The CENTERS never change. We always have the same options on the wheel. The activities change monthly.
Do they work alone or with friends? Totally their choice.
When do they learn how to do the activities? Good news. I am a real-life teacher in a real-life classroom (not a Pinterest classroom where I show you worksheets as centers…), so all of our centers are the same 6 activity types. That means once they learn the 6 types, they can do centers independently all year long. We learn the centers in small groups and one-on-one!
Math Centers In Action!
All of our math centers are available here:
TKS STORE:
TPT:
For more information, check out these posts: