The importance of Early Years maths for pre-schoolers

Posted by GeorgieMOE, 04 June, 2022

It’s National Numeracy Day today so here at MOE we’ve been crunching the numbers and have come up with an equation that we really think works when it comes to Early Years maths.

Tactile resources + child-led adventures + a large dash of fun = keen little learners!

Our latest blog is not only about the wonderful maths-focused resources we supply, but also the importance of getting to grips with maths from a young age.

Key Considerations For Maths For EYFS

Introducing children to maths in early childhood not only helps them to develop critical thinking and reasoning skills from an early age, but it’s also one of the key areas of learning that leads to success in their formal schooling years and beyond. But what does an Early Years maths curriculum look like? Ideally children, by the time they start primary school, should be comfortable with:

Number sense: Number sense, or the basics of learning about numbers, is the first vital math skill a child needs as a foundation to maths learning.
Counting: The average 4-year-old child can count up to ten, however it is perfectly normal for some children to still be learning to count to five while others are able to correctly count to fifty. Count clouds, count sheep, count leaves – count it all!
Learning numbers through representation or pictures: Learning through play and discovery is always a great way to encourage a love of numbers. Visual learning using representation or pictures is always a great way to teach pre-schoolers when it comes to maths (and almost all other areas of learning!).

Ways To Aid Children With Early Years Maths

It’s never too early to explore numbers with your child. Real life often provides the best opportunities to develop early maths skills including counting and recognising numbers and there are plenty of ways you can help your child pick up maths concepts including:

Listening to songs and rhymes: Sing counting songs (10 Green Bottles, Once I Caught a Fish Alive, etc.) as this is a great way for your child to become familiar with counting.

Count whenever you can: Counting together, as well as letting your child see and hear you counting is great practise for Early Years maths. Count everyday objects such as toys, pencils and the number of stairs in your house, and when you go out for a walk count things like cars, houses and even your footsteps.

Talk about numbers: We are surrounded by numbers all the time so point them out! Remote controls, car registration plates, house numbers, mobile phones, bus numbers, prices – the list is endless! Try choosing a ‘number of the week’ and see how many times you can spot it around the house and out on your adventures.

Read number-based books together: There are too many great number-focused books to count (but do give it a try!) so pick up a few and read them with your children to help develop number recognition skills. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is always a winner!

Play maths games: When a child is having fun they don’t even realise they’re learning and a great way to boost Early Years maths skills AND confidence is through games. Connect 4, Number Snap and Bingo are just a few favourites for pre-schoolers.

MOE’s Top Picks For Maths Development Toys & Equipment

Here at MOE we know just how crucial fun learning processes are for pre-schoolers, which is why we source products that tick all the boxes when it comes to encouraging children to learn through discovery and play. Head over to our website to check out our vast range, but in the meantime here are a few resources you might like:

Play Themed Maths Learning Products

Giant Clock & Abacus: Early Years Maths activities just ramped up to a whole new level of hands-on fun thanks to our handcrafted Giant Abacus and Clock! Suitable for indoor or outdoor use, this child-led resource provides endless scope for maths learning opportunities in a visual, engaging way.

Maths Fishing Game: This fun Fish Maths Set combines learning and play to make an engaging resource for teaching maths, counting, ordering and numbers, while also helping to develop dexterity, concentration and to provides visual representation.

Wooden Natural Number Stacker: Our Wooden Natural Number Stackers are perfect when it comes to a classic learning aid to help numerical and problem-solving skills.

Rainbow Pebbles Classroom Set: This colourful construction and early mathematics manipulative has been designed to help develop fine motor, counting, sorting and creative design skills. It contains a whopping 252 assorted pebbles in 6 sizes and 6 colours, 47 double-sided activity cards, 3 spinners and an activity guide in a sturdy storage container and, we think, makes the perfect Early Years resource for any home or classroom.

Teaching Themed Maths Learning Products

Outdoor Maths Resource Set: This large set of resources has been designed for indoor or outdoor use when it comes to helping children develop number recognition, identifying patterns (e.g. odd and even), counting skills and exploring number sequences.

Wooden Maths Board Set: The tactile board promotes and supports children in understanding early maths skills and comes with number titles 0-100 and a bag of wooden counters, but little ones also love using their own natural resources as counters too.

Wooden Number Tracing Tiles: Our Wooden Number Tracing Tiles are not only Montessori-inspired and perfect for helping pre-schoolers with their fine motor and numeracy skills, but they also make for a more eco-friendly learning activity.

Number Flashcards: A fantastic resource to help children start to recognise numbers 1-20, these flashcards have the number digit on one side and the number word on the other. They also include a set of maths symbols to help with creating number sentences.

Wooden Balancing Scales: These Wooden Balancing Scales really help to make learning fun! The balancing scales have a spirit level/bubble level attached to the top to give more of a visual learning experience and the buckets are suitable for weighing and balancing sand, water, stones or other fun objects for plenty of STEM-focused adventures.

Help Them Love Maths On National Numeracy Day

Happy National Numeracy Day, everyone! And don’t forget that if you want more information on any of our resources then do get in touch with our team.

Email at [email protected]
Call on 01277 297 001

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