Identify the people, toys and experiences that babies enjoy.
Talk about the things that babies notice when they are in different places such as the garden, the changing area or where they have meals.
Talk to babies about what you are doing and what is happening.
Talk to babies about things that interest them, describing particular features, such as the patterns formed when sunlight filters through the leaves on to the ground.
8-20 Months
Sing number rhymes as you dress or change babies, for example, 'One, Two, Buckle My Shoe'.
Move with babies to the rhythm patterns in familiar songs and rhymes.
Encourage babies to join in tapping and clapping along to simple rhythms.
Play games such as peek-a-boo or comment when a puppet pops out of a sock.
Talk to babies about puzzles they encounter such as how to get their sock back from where it has fallen, asking whether they can do it or if they might need help.
Play games that involve curling and stretching, popping up and bobbing down.
Encourage babies' explorations of the characteristics of objects, for example, by rolling a ball to them.
Talk about what objects are like and how objects, such as a sponge, can change their shape by being squeezed or stretched.
16-26 Months
Use number words in meaningful contexts, for example, "Here's your other mitten. Now we have two".
Talk to young children about 'lots' and 'few' as they play.
Talk about young children's choices and, where appropriate, demonstrate how counting helps us to find out how many.
Give opportunities for children to practise one-to-one correspondence in real-life situations.
Talk about the maths in everyday situations, for example, doing up a coat, one hole for each button.
Tell parents about all the ways children learn about numbers in your setting. Have interpreter support or translated materials to support children and families learning English as an additional language.
Foster children's ability to classify and compare amounts.
Use 'tidy up time' to promote logic and reasoning about where things fit in or are kept.
Putting the blocks away - In a nursery school, a small group of children work independently, together, and with the support of the practitioner to tidy away the resources.
[transcript]
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Talk to children, as they play with water or sand, to encourage them to think about when something is full, empty or holds more.
Help young children to create different arrangements in the layout of road and rail tracks.
Highlight patterns in daily activities and routines.
Help children to touch, see and feel shape through art, music and dance.
Encourage children to create their own patterns in art, music and dance.
Time to cook - In a childminder's home, the childminder supports the child in his play and learning. [transcript]
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22-36 Months
Show children how we use counting to find out 'how many'.
Talk about how the symbols and marks you make stand for numbers and quantities.
Ask questions such as "Would you like one sandwich or two?".
At mealtimes, talk about portions of food so that children learn about quantities, such as 'enough', 'more', 'how many'.
Encourage parents of children learning English as an additional language to talk in their home language about quantities and numbers.
Help children to organise their ideas by talking to them about what they are doing.
Play games which relate to number order, addition and subtraction, such as hopscotch and skittles.
Sing counting songs and rhymes which help to develop children's understanding of number, such as 'Two Little Dickie Birds'.
Cocoa for 50p - In the outdoor area of a pre-school on a sunny day, the practitioner supports a child in his role-play about shops and money. [transcript]
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Talk about and help children to recognise patterns.
Draw children's attention to the pattern of square/oblong/square which emerges as you fold or unfold a tablecloth or napkin.
Be consistent in your use of vocabulary for weight and mass.
Sort coins on play trays into interesting arrangements and shapes; sort them into bags, purses and containers.
Measure for a purpose, such as finding out whether a teddy will fit in a bed.
30-50 Months
Use number language, for example, 'one', 'two', 'three', 'lots', 'hundreds', 'how many?' and 'count', in a variety of situations.
Model and encourage use of mathematical language by, for example, asking questions such as, "How many saucepans will fit on the shelf?".
Allow children to understand that one thing can be shared, for example, a pizza.
Getting ready to go out - In a reception class, the practitioner encourages children to locate their wellingtons by number and location. [transcript]
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Demonstrate language such as 'same as', 'less' or 'fewer'.
As you read number stories or rhymes, ask, for example, "How many will there be in the pool when one more frog jumps in?".
Use pictures and objects to illustrate counting songs, rhymes and number stories. This will benefit all children and be particularly supportive to children learning English as an additional language.
Demonstrate the language for shape, position and measures in discussions, for example, 'ball shape', 'box shape', 'in', 'on', 'inside', 'under', 'longer', 'shorter', 'heavy', 'light', 'full' and 'empty'. Find out and use equivalent terms for these measures in home languages.
Encourage children to talk about the shapes they see and use and how they are arranged.
Value children's constructions by helping to display them or take photographs of them.
Organise the environment to foster shape matching, for example, pictures of different bricks on containers to show where they are kept.
40-60+ Months
Encourage estimation, for example, estimate how many sandwiches to make for the picnic.
Encourage use of mathematical language, for example, number names to ten: "Have you got enough to give me three?".
Ensure that children are involved in making displays, for example, making their own pictograms of lunch choices. Develop this as a 3D representation using bricks and discuss the most popular choices.
Add numerals to all areas of learning and development, for example, to a display of a favourite story, such as 'The Three Billy Goats Gruff'.
Make books about numbers that have meaning for the child such as favourite numbers, birth dates or telephone numbers.
Use rhymes, songs and stories involving counting on and counting back in ones, twos, fives and tens.
Emphasise the empty set and introduce the concept of nothing or zero.
Show interest in how children solve problems and value their different solutions.
Make sure children are secure about the order of numbers before asking what comes after or before each number.
Discuss with children how problems relate to others they have met, and their different solutions.
Encourage children to make up their own story problems for other children to solve.
Encourage children to extend problems, for example, "Suppose there were three people to share the bricks between instead of two".
Use mathematical vocabulary and demonstrate methods of recording, using standard notation where appropriate.
Give children learning English as an additional language opportunities to work in their home language to ensure accurate understanding of concepts.
Ask 'silly' questions, for example, show a tiny box and ask if there is a bicycle in it.
Play peek-a-boo, revealing shapes a little at a time and at different angles, asking children to say what they think the shape is, what else it could be or what it could not be.
Make books about shape, time and measure: shapes found in the environment; long and short things; things of a specific length; and ones about patterns, or comparing things that are heavier or lighter.
Be a robot and ask children to give you instructions to get to somewhere. Let them have a turn at being the robot for you to instruct.
Introduce children to the use of mathematical names for 'solid' 3D shapes and 'flat' 2D shapes, and the mathematical terms to describe shapes.
Ensure children use everyday words to describe position, for example, when following pathways or playing with outdoor apparatus.
A picture of my family - In a pre-school, a practitioner supports two children to think about biggest, smallest, tallest and shortest, as they discuss the pictures they have drawn. [transcript]
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Acknowledgements
Disclaimer
00012-2007CDO-EN