Welcome kindergarten teacher, parent or technology teacher. I’m so glad you’ve found CoolKindergarten.
As a former kindergarten teacher, I hope that you find this free resource to be helpful.
Here is how CoolK works, some thing you might want to know, who is behind this website and what standards we focus on.
How to use
- Your child/student starts on the home screen where they can choose the main activities. They can choose from: math, math videos, reading, reading online stories, or just for fun games. The two main kindergarten standards-based activities are located under math and reading.
- They play the listed games and activities in order for the math and reading pages. They select links based on choice for the videos, stories, and just for fun games.
- Your child/student can use the built-in clickable navigation. Click the images to go back a section, or to go home.
- Students can listen to audio stories online or watch math videos to learn more if they finish early or as an alternative activity. The choice is up to you! These can work great as rewards for completing a specific set of tasks.
- The just for fun section is a section designed for before-school and after-school care programs, as a reward or for when assigned work is complete for the day. Students can play just for fun online games for kids when there is free time. It is a collection of extension activities, fun games, and logic puzzles for kindergarten.
- Games and activities are updated over time. If you find a link that has gone dead, please report it using this form.
Bonus teacher download
Grab these downloadable posters to use in your classroom to show students what to work on
Who made it
CoolKindergarten was created by a kindergarten teacher.
Leslie, an award-winning kindergarten teacher of over 10 years experience had to teach her own computer lab classes and create computer centers for her classroom.
She figured out how to make linking to standards-based games and activities easy for kindergarten students to navigate.
She is also the founder of KindergartenWorks.com invites kindergarten teachers to subscribe to her kindergarten blog – which includes free downloads, updates, and sanity-saving tips.
Things you might want to know
- There are standards listed and linked at the bottom of each skill set page.
- If you know your child/student needs additional help with a certain skill area or know of a standard they need to improve on – you can use these to help make sure they are on a page that fits their current needs.
- The pages in reading and math are ordered to match how children generally grow academically:
- The green page starts out with more basic skills – sometimes these are preschool skills depending upon the child’s previous learning experience.
- The yellow page has skills that are focused on applying what they’ve learned on the green page.
- The orange and red pages do the same – they build on the skills used previously or go deeper into a vein of understanding. They are all geared to helping develop your child/student as a reader and a thinker with strong math strategy skills!
- While these pages do not replace kindergarten curriculum or cover all standards – they will be a great compliment to what your child/student is learning in school and at home.
- CoolKindergarten does not collect any personally identifiable information from your child while using coolkindergarten.com. Please read our privacy policy and why we have ads if you have any questions or concerns. Please see each linked website for their individual privacy policies.
Standards
Here is the focus for each page on CoolKindergarten. You can also find the Common Core standards listed for each page under the “Teacher Notes” section.
Math
Numbers
These games focus on beginning number sense. Counting objects one-to one, rote counting to 20, recognizing and naming numbers (numerals) to 10 and to 20 are the focus of this collection.
> See all beginning number sense games
Games practice Common Core Standards: K.CC.A, K.CC.A.1 (to 20), K.CC.A.2, K.CC.B.4, K.CC.B.4.B, K.CC.B.4.c, K.CC.B.5
Addition & Subitizing
These activities are selected to work on subitizing and learning how to add.
Kindergarteners can learn how to subitize dots on a five frame, ten frame as well as practice addition with objects, pictures and equations.
> See all addition fun math games
Games practice Common Core Standards: K.OA.1, K.OA.2, K.OA.5
Subtraction & Decomposing Numbers
Here are games and activities to build foundational skills like learning how to subtract and composing and decomposing numbers 11-19. Working on those tricky teen numbers by making and breaking them apart with groups of tens and ones is a huge K skill!
Modeling subtraction with objects, pictures and equations is also an important focus on this page.
Games practice Common Core Standards: K.OA.1, K.OA.2, K.OA.5, K.NBT.1
Problem Solving
This collection of games is a problem solving set that includes understanding how to make 10 in various ways fluidly.
Activities and games focus on solving for 10, using logic and strategies to solve missing addends, place numbers on a 100 chart, use date in categories and solve number patterns.
> See all problem-solving activities
Games practice Common Core Standards: K.MD.3, K.OA.3, K.OA.4, K.CC.5, K.CC.6
Reading
Alphabet & Letter Recognition
Games all on one page that helps kindergarteners learn letter names, matching uppercase and lowercase letters as well as abc order. This collection covers the alphabet quickly.
Games practice Common Core Standards: K.RF.1.d
Rhymes & Letter Sounds
This phonemic awareness collection of games focuses on beginning sounds and ending sounds.
Included are activities to work on rhyming and hearing onset-rime word parts.
Games practice Common Core Standards: K.RF.2.a, K.RF.2.d, K.RF.2.c, K.RF.3.a, K.RF.3.b
Making CVC Words
Here are 12 games that build on understanding sounds in each position, sounding out and creating CVC (3 letter words). Students will blend, identify and manipulate letters in short words.
> See all making words activities
Games practice Common Core Standards: K.RF.2.d, K.RF.2.e, K.RF.3.a, K.RF.3.b, K.RF.3.d, K.L.2.d
Sight Words & Challenging Words
Build on core kindergarten foundational reading skills with 12 word reading activities. These games focus on reading 4+ letter words, learning basic spelling patterns like silent e and digraphs. Plus students will read sight word games. These skills are for kindergarten and first grade.
> See all word work challenge activities
Games practice Common Core Standards: K.RF.2.e, K.RF.3.b, K.RF.3.c, K.RF.3.d, RF.1.2.b, RF.1.3.a, RF.1.3.c, RF.1.3.g