Teacher’s Brain

Kindergarten Math Cafe

Looking for a NEW way to engage your students in learning math at the beginning of the year? Creating a Math Cafe or Math “Salad Bar” is a great way to hit target skills, engage the students, and free you up to monitor learning. You can use the “recipe” cards as task cards, set up a cafe in your room, or just use the printables in small or whole groups.

What is a Math Café?

I like to keep all of my math manipulatives in one place, and hold students responsible for cleaning up after their activity. You can make your Math Café out of a bookcase or a rolling cart.

 A student pulls out the manipulative cart (Café). Students choose a recipe card (task card – with the material list, number of people who can participate in the math activity and directions), choose their partners if required, fill their tray with materials, do the activity anywhere in the room, and easily clean up by using a tray to hold their materials. 

You float around and take notes. One task card is labeled “Teacher’s Group.” This can be used when you see a student needs extra help with a concept. They will sit with you to review the concept, if you give them the card. There are also ipad, computer and blank recipe cards.

My Math Cafe Kindergarten Math Centers resource will give you everything you need for your own Math Cafe. 

This resource focuses on counting and cardinality numbers 1-5. 

Here’s a look at what you’ll get: 

•  Standards
• Unit 1 Counting and Cardinality with Numbers to 5 Directions, Suggestions, and Links
• Materials List Needed for Activities
• Task Cards (“Recipe Cards”) 1 Blank, 1 Teacher Station, 1 Computer Station, 1 ipad Station
• Trace Write Draw Activity
•  Read and Roll Card with Printable
• Spin and Color the Fish
• Spin ROLL Doh WRITE
•  RACE CAR Game
• Race and Roll to the TOP
• Cover It –Spin a Number
• Roll and Color a Picture
• Number Order (count on from a given number)
• Trace the Numbers (using sheet pan, magnetic numbers)
•  Roll and Color (5 Frame)
• Roll and Build a Cube Tower
• Bowling with Markers
• Roll and color the Bugs
• Roll and Cover Caterpillar (with pom poms)
• Race and Roll to the Top with Number Words
• Count and Color the Number
• Color by Number (Roll a die.)
• Assessment Numbers 1-5
• Small Posters for Touch Math Numbers 1-9
•  Posters for Numbers 1-20 with Ten Frames
•  Rules Sign
• Math Café Sign
• Recording Data Sheet for Teacher
• Pictures of Set Up

Here is a helpful video about how to set up a Math Cafe or Math Salad Bar for math centers in your kindergarten classroom! 

If you love this bundle, you’ll also love my Math Centers Yearlong Bundle! It includes 14 units along with the Math Cafe bundle above to keep your students engaged with fun math centers for the entire school year.

For more Kindergarten math center fun, check out this post here! 

How do you like to make your math centers more engaging? Let me know in the comments!