Kindergarten Math Warm-Ups: Try a Free Week of Number Talks

I put together a free week of kindergarten math warm-ups so you can try the weekday routines with your students. Open the sample below, choose a slide, and give everyone a moment to think before you call on anyone.

Try a Free Week of Kindergarten Math Warm-Ups

How to lead a kindergarten number talk

Put a 7 on the board and give kindergarteners six number cards: 2, 5, 3, 4, 1, and 6. Ask, “Which two numbers make seven?”

One child might hold up five fingers on one hand and two on the other. Another might choose three and four. Now you have the makings of a kindergarten math warm-up: one question, more than one way to answer it, and a reason to listen to a classmate.

For the make-seven prompt, give partners seven counters to share. Ask one partner to put some in each hand and the other to name the two parts. Record their idea as 5 + 2 = 7.

Then ask, “Can you move just one counter to the other hand? What are your two parts now?” Students can see how five and two become four and three while the total stays seven.

If a child counts all seven again, let the class watch. Then invite someone who started with five and counted on to show how they kept track of the last two. Both children found seven, and now the class has two strategies to try. These daily practices add up to a strong foundation of number sense and flexibility in working with Numbers. For more about building fluency you can read the post, Simple Practices to Bridge Fact Fluency and Long-Term Memory.

Use a sorting mistake to start a math conversation

On Fix It Friday, the buttons come in two colors and two sizes. Ask, “What rule do you think someone started using?” Give children time to point out a button that seems out of place. If someone suggests sorting by color, ask where every red button would go.

If another child suggests size, try that rule next. A button can be both red and small, so its home depends on the rule the class chooses.

For a quick follow-up, ask, “Which button would you move first, and why?” A child who is still finding the words can point while you offer the sentence starter, “I would move this one because…”

Choose a warm-up for the math your students need

Early in the year, I’d start with a picture students can describe or objects they can sort. When students are working on teen numbers, choose a Mix and Match Monday slide with a stick of ten and loose cubes. Cover the numeral choices and ask, “Where do you see the ten? How many more?” Reveal the choices after partners have built or named the number.

Try this with thirteen cubes. If a child chooses 13, ask, “What does the 3 tell us about your cubes? Where is the ten?” If the child points to a single cube for the 1, have a partner snap ten together. Set that stick beside the three loose cubes and invite the child to explain 13 again.

For a whole-group Guided Math lesson, one slide and one follow-up question are plenty. If several students count the cubes in the stick one by one, take a stick of ten and some loose cubes to the teacher table. You’ve already found a starting point for small group.

For help fitting that transition into your day, see Setting Up Guided Math.

A full year of kindergarten math warm-ups

The updated resource includes 180 daily warm-ups organized by weekday, with three recurring routines for each day. Use the weekday menu to jump to a prompt in PowerPoint or Google Slides. Select slides include movable pieces, and the original PowerPoint is included in the download.

See All 180 Kindergarten Math Warm-Ups on TPT

For more questions to ask after a student gives an answer, read Better Math Warm-Ups: Build Sense-Making and Deeper Understanding.