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by Latrenda Knighten
Topics: Kindergarten, Math

Your kindergartener is beginning to explore basic probability concepts in math class. While she may not express probability in terms of fractions or percentages, she is definitely capable of determining if an activity or game is fair or provides everyone with an equal chance of winning.

Want to help your little one get familiar with the practice of tossing a coin toss while practicing basic probability? Challenge your child to finding out if a coin toss is really fair by conducting this coin toss experiment.

What You Need:
  • One coin
  • Plain paper
  • Pencil

What You Do:

  1. Begin this activity by showing your child the coin and pointing out the pictures on both sides. Tell your child that the side that shows a person’s head is called "heads" and the side that shows a different image is called "tails."
  2. Tell your child that you are going to conduct a coin toss experiment to find out if there is an equal chance of getting heads or tails when a coin is tossed. Allow your child to make a prediction before beginning the experiment. (You may want to provide a real-world connection to this concept by discussing the coin toss used in sporting events or watch the beginning of a game on television if your child isn’t familiar with the practice.)
  3. Use the plain paper and pencil to prepare a recording sheet. Draw two columns on the piece of paper and label one “heads” and the other one “tails”. 
  4. Allow your child to toss the coin. Using the recording sheet, place an X in the appropriate column (heads or tails).
  5. Have your child toss the coin 50 times and record her findings in the correct column each time the coin is tossed. Discuss the results of your experiment. Have your child tell you if she thinks there is an equal chance of getting heads or tails when tossing a coin and tell you why.