Display favourite things in a lively, bright environment so that a young baby can see them.
Provide a small group of the same objects in treasure baskets, as well as single items, for example, two fir cones or three shells.
Let babies see and hear the sequence of actions you go through as you carry out familiar routines.
Display things to look at that encourage their interest in movement, such as a spiral.
8-20 Months
Collect number rhymes which are repetitive and are related to children's actions and experiences, for example, 'Peter Hammers with One Hammer'.
Use song and rhymes during personal routines, for example, 'Two Little Eyes to Look Around', pointing to their eyes, one by one.
Collect number and counting rhymes from a range of cultures and in other languages. This will benefit all children and will give additional support for children learning English as an additional language.
Provide lift-the-flap books to show something hidden from view.
Provide a variety of interesting displays for babies to see when they are looking around them, looking up at the ceiling or peering into a corner.
Provide a range of objects of various textures and weights in treasure baskets to excite and encourage babies' interests.
Look at books showing objects such as a big truck and a little truck; or a big cat and a small kitten.
Use story props to support all children and particularly those learning English as an additional language.
16-26 Months
Provide varied opportunities to explore 'lots' and 'few' in play.
Equip the role-play area with things that can be sorted in different ways.
Provide collections of objects that can be sorted and matched in various ways.
Provide resources that support children in making one-to-one correspondences, for example, giving each dolly a cup.
Encourage children, when helping with domestic tasks, to put all the pieces of apple on one dish and all the pieces of celery on another for snacks.
Use pictures or shapes of objects to indicate where things are kept and encourage children to work out where things belong.
Provide different sizes and shapes of containers in water play, so that children can experiment with quantities and measures.
Offer a range of puzzles with large pieces and knobs or handles to support success in fitting shapes into spaces.
22-36 Months
Introduce number labels to use outdoors for car number plates, house and bus numbers.
Create a 'number rich' environment in the home play area. Introduce numbers as they are used at home, by having a clock, a telephone and a washing machine.
Keep a diary with the children about their favourite things. Talk about how many like apples, or which of them watches a particular TV programme at home.
Provide props for children to act out counting songs and rhymes.
Provide games and equipment that offer opportunities for counting, such as skittles.
Plan to incorporate a mathematical component in areas such as the sand, water or other play areas.
Collect pictures that illustrate the use of shapes and patterns from a variety of cultures, for example, Arabic designs.
Provide opportunities for children to measure time (sand timer), weight (balances) and measure (non-standard units).
Vary the use of volume and capacity equipment in the sand, water and other play areas to maintain interest.
30-50 Months
Give children a reason to count, for example, by asking them to select enough wrist bands for three friends to play with the puppets.
Enable children to note the 'missing set', for example, "There are none left" when sharing things out.
Provide number labels for children to use, for example, by putting a number label on each bike and a corresponding number on each parking space.
Include counting money and change in role-play games.
Create opportunities for children to separate objects into unequal groups as well as equal groups.
Provide story props that children can use in their play, for example, varieties of fruit and several baskets like Handa's in the story Handa's Surprise by Eileen Browne.
Have large and small blocks and boxes available for construction both indoors and outdoors.
Play games involving children positioning themselves inside, behind, on top and so on.
Provide rich and varied opportunities for comparing length, weight and time.
Use stories such as Rosie's Walk by Pat Hutchins to talk about distance and stimulate discussion about non-standard units and the need for standard units.
Show pictures that have symmetry or pattern and talk to children about them.
A bed for a giant - In a reception class, the practitioner supports a child to solve problems by thinking about the size of a giant's bed, and helping him learn new skills about measuring. [transcript]
You can watch the video via modem or slow / fast / superfast broadband connections. If you are behind a network firewall, why not click here to view a flash file of the video. You do need to have the flash plugin.
Talking about a monster - In a reception class, the practitioner supports a child to talk about the features of his 'monster' using language such as long, tall, taller. [transcript]
You can watch the video via modem or slow / fast / superfast broadband connections. If you are behind a network firewall, why not click here to view a flash file of the video. You do need to have the flash plugin.
40-60+ Months
Provide collections of interesting things for children to sort, order, count and label in their play.
Display numerals in purposeful contexts, for example, a sign showing how many children can play on a number track.
Use tactile numeral cards made from sandpaper, velvet or string.
Create opportunities for children to experiment with a number of objects, the written numeral and the written number. Develop this through matching activities with a range of numbers, numerals and a selection of objects.
Use a 100 square to show number patterns.
Make number games readily available and teach children how to use them.
Display interesting books about number.
Play games such as hide and seek that involve counting.
Use rhymes, songs and stories involving counting on and counting back.
Encourage children to record what they have done, for example, by drawing or tallying.
Use number staircases to show a starting point and how you arrive at another point when something is added or taken away.
Provide a wide range of number resources and encourage children to be creative in thinking up problems and solutions in all areas of learning.
Encourage children to make links between cardinal numbers (quantity) and ordinal numbers (position).
Make number lines available for reference and encourage children to use them in their own play.
Help children to understand that five fingers on each hand make a total of ten fingers altogether, or that two rows of three eggs in the box make six eggs altogether.
Provide a range of boxes and materials for models and constructions such as 'dens', indoors and outdoors.
Provide examples of the same shape in different sizes.
Have areas where children can explore the properties of objects and where they can weigh and measure, such as a cookery station or a building area.
Plan opportunities for children to describe and compare shapes, measures and distance.
Provide materials and resources for children to observe and describe patterns in the indoor and outdoor environment and in daily routines, orally, in pictures or using objects.
Provide a range of natural materials for children to arrange, compare and order.
Acknowledgements
Disclaimer
00012-2007CDO-EN