Using this Sharing Chocolate Rows and Columns Activity, students partition a rectangle into rows and columns of same-size squares and count to find the total number of them.
Line them up, rows and rows!
Kindergartners do not multiply yet, but they love lining things up, and that is the start of arrays. They learn that a row goes across and a column goes up and down, like seats in a theater or squares on a chocolate bar. Kids build little arrays with counters, count all the objects, and notice that neat rows make counting faster and easier. The click comes when a child sees an egg carton and says, "Two rows of six!"
Arrays are everywhere in a kindergartner's world. These moves help them notice and build them.
Give kids a few small crackers or counters and ask them to make 2 rows of 3. Count them together, then rebuild as 3 rows of 2. Same number! Building it with their hands makes rows and columns real.
Why it works: the U.S. Department of Education's guide for teaching elementary math recommends moving from hands-on objects to drawings to numbers.
Try it withSharing Chocolate Rows and Columns ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Take a walk around school looking for arrays: window panes, egg cartons, muffin tins, cubbies. Back in class, kids draw the one they found and circle a row. Spotting arrays in real life is the best first step.
Why it works: pairing a picture with each word gives kids two ways to remember it, a well-tested principle of how people learn (Mayer, 2009).
Show a picture of 3 rows of 4 apples and ask, "How did you count them?" Some kids count by ones, some by rows. Sharing strategies out loud helps everyone see that rows make counting faster.
Why it works: when kids say the precise math words, their understanding gets sharper, a recommendation of the U.S. Department of Education's elementary math guide.
Teacher favorites right now: Sharing Chocolate Rows and Columns Activity.
They get a gentle introduction. Kindergartners arrange objects in rows and columns and count them, which builds the groundwork for multiplication in 2nd and 3rd grade.
An array is a group of objects arranged in neat rows and columns. An egg carton, a muffin pan and a chocolate bar are all arrays kids already know.
A row goes across, side to side, like people in a line. A column goes up and down, like a stack of blocks. A quick hand motion for each helps kids remember.
Set the table in rows, line up toy cars, or arrange crackers on a plate. Ask your child, "How many rows? How many in all?" It turns snack time into math time.
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