- Definition
Data is information we collect, which can be numbers (like how many toys you have) or descriptions (like the color of your toys).
Asking five friends what their favourite colour is and writing it down collects data.
How to teach this in 30 seconds
Try this analogy: Data is like the information you gather when you sort your toys by colour or count how many you have.
Ask your child: If we look at our shoes, what things could we count or sort?
Common mix-up: Kids may think data is only about numbers. Data can also be about categories, like colours, shapes, or favourite animals.
Examples
- Counting how many blue cars you see on a walk is collecting data.
- Sorting laundry into piles for shirts, pants, and socks is using data about clothing types.
data is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.
Where this shows up
- Grade 4 The Arts
- Grade 6 The Arts
- Kindergarten Kindergarten
- Grade 4 Language Arts
- Grade 5 Language Arts
- Grade 6 Language Arts
+78 more mentions across the curriculum
The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗
