Friday 2nd February was World Number Day, so I thought I would write a short blog on how supporting children to develop their understanding of number (I’m three days late to the party, but forgive me!)
Throughout my years of teaching, I have heard many parents tell me that they ‘don’t do maths’ and cant possibly help their children with anything remotely mathematical. The truth is that we all can help to develop those early skills, whether or not maths is your strong point. This blog will focus on developing number skills, but there are, of course, many additional areas of mathematics which I will focus on another day.
For young children, the word ‘numbers’ refers to how many of something there are. Numbers and numerical concepts are all around us; they’re everywhere we go and in everything that we do. Using mathematical language from when your baby is tiny will enable them to start understanding numerical concepts. When you start weaning your child, count out food on to a plate for them, or count up a number each time you give them a spoon of food. Count the stairs on the way to bed and point out numbers on pages in their bedtime story.
Numbers are everywhere when we go outside. They are on houses, road signs, cars etc. As your child gets a bit older you can play ‘number hunts’ as you walk together. It doesn’t matter if your child gets it wrong. If they refer to a number ‘7’ as a ‘4’, it still shows that they understand what a number is. Count and share food, treats and toys through play, count the number of bricks in a tower (one at a time as you place on each brick). It is scientifically proven that children learn better through play, particularly if that play is purposeful, so making counting and number activities an every-day part of your play will reap rewards. Using concrete objects is really important for understanding concepts of number and developing mathematical learning with toys you already have will be far better than any ‘work’ book you purchase for your child.
As a reception class teacher, I frequently came across children whose parents had told me they could count. Yes, they could patter off 1-100, but were they actually counting? The answer to that question is no. Whilst rote counting is important for children and they do need to know which numbers to say in which order, numbers only really become meaningful when children develop an understanding of number recognition, 1:1 correspondence, cardinality and concepts such as more and less. 1:1 correspondence is the skill of counting one object as you say each number. This can be achieved through lots of modelling and encouragement in everyday activities, such as laying the table, counting out toy cars or counting toothbrushes in your bathroom. Cardinality refers to the understanding that the last number you said when counting a set of something refers to how many objects were in that group. This is a hard skill for children to develop as they tend to keep counting to a point that seems a more natural end for them (often a number such as 10 or 20 that they will have been taught to count to). In order to aid your child’s understanding of 1:1 correspondence and cardinality, it is easier if you physically move each object as you count it. In terms of developing concepts such as more or less, when you go shopping ask children if they can see more apples or more bananas? Are there more red flowers or yellow flowers? Or if you’re feeling really brave….. which one of your siblings has the most sweets?
For children with additional needs do exactly the same thing. You may just need to repeat things more often in order for concepts to become embedded. But do you know what… That’s ok! We all learn at different speeds and laying these foundations early will support every child in their mathematical understanding as they go through their childhood. Some children may be diagnosed with specific learning difficulties as they get older, but those difficulties can be addressed when the time comes. Just keep going with making maths meaningful and full of fun and they will make progress, even if it is baby steps.
So, in response to the parents who’ve said to me ‘I don’t do maths’ (you know who you are!), I promise you it’s not that hard. Look around you and you will see opportunities for developing numerical concepts everywhere you look.