Keys to Developing Early Numeracy Skills in Children

Maths skills are essential in our day to day lives, from counting and measuring, to analysing patterns and evaluating information. All children can be successful with numeracy, provided they have opportunities to explore mathematical ideas in ways that make sense to them.

At Learning Tree childcare centres, we are proud of our quality curriculum but learning doesn’t have to be limited to the classroom. Play is a powerful tool which promotes children’s development and learning, building confidence and self-esteem. Here are some ideas on how to create opportunities for play and interaction that will help your child's numeracy development.

You could start building numeracy skills with your baby in simple ways such as reading stories with numbers, singing number songs and rhymes, and talking to them about everyday counting activities – such as 'There are five toes on your foot.'

Use maths skills with your toddler when you're preparing food and get them involved in helping. Pouring, mixing, and measuring are all maths based activities and a fun way to help them learn about counting and estimating and to understand concepts such as sizes, shapes and even fractions. Cut an apple in half and describe what you're doing.

When you're out and about there are plenty of opportunities for having fun with numeracy. Count the number of steps between letter boxes and turn it into a game by trying to guess first. In the supermarket count the items in your trolley. Collect and count things you find in the garden - stones, feathers or flowers. Sort them into groups based on size, colour or shape.

Plenty of indoor games will also help your kids numeracy skills from dominoes to snakes and ladders and card games. Play with them, help them learn, and most of all, have fun.