Mathematics

Children develop a foundation of understanding of what numbers are and what they mean in a practical way.  They count objects and divide them up and find how many there are altogether.  They also gradually acquire an understanding of weight, length, capacity and shape.

We count anything and everything – how many children are in today and how many grapes are left on the plate for example.  We sing number songs and spot numbers while we are out and about.  The children know their bikes by the number on the seat and they do number jigsaws and puzzles.  They experience capacity when using the sand and water, by seeing how many spades it takes to fill the bucket.  We measure each other and how tall plants have grown.

You can help your child by:

• Sharing number rhymes and stories.
• Use mathematical language during everyday activities e.g. pairing up socks, laying the table, sorting the crayons, counting the stairs, weighing ingredients or themselves!, measuring how tall they are etc.
• Helping them to work out problems for themselves.