What is Early Numeracy?
Early numeracy refers to the development of numeracy and mathematics skills in young children.
Numbers play a significant role in everyone’s lives, and even for young children, early numeracy is key to developing their foundations for interacting with the world they live in. Starting their numeracy journey early is therefore a cornerstone in their early development and can go a long way towards driving an interest in mathematics and beyond.
Early Maths Concept
Our curriculum transforms foundational math concepts into an exciting adventure. The early numeracy concepts include:
- Discover the basics of numbers and their significance.
- Number Recognition: Build a strong foundation with fun activities that promote number identification.
- Sizes & Shape: Explore the world of sizes and shapes through interactive play.
- Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract Approach: Use this effective method to deepen understanding and retention.
- Introduction to AB Patterning: Begin recognising patterns in a playful and engaging way.
- Addition: Introduce basic addition concepts through hands-on games and activities.
Why is Early Numeracy Essential?
Early numeracy goes beyond mathematical readiness related to counting, addition, subtraction, and other concepts. Teaching young children the basics of number sense, pattern recognition, and even simple spatial concepts can do more to prepare them for various applications of numeracy in their daily lives as they grow older.
Empowering Reading Ability
Studies have shown that early numeracy can lead to a gradual improvement in a child’s reading outcomes. At the same time, early numeracy also indicates a positive effect on their ability to process and solve word problems, as well as improving attention and mitigating harmful, aggressive behaviours. With proper parental and teacher support, a child can be nurtured to develop an interest in both numeracy and literacy, thereby aiding in their growth in both foundational areas.
Enhances Problem-Solving Skills
Early numeracy also promotes problem-solving skills that children will be able to apply across various scenarios in their later lives. It provides opportunities for them to ask relevant questions, explore different approaches, explain their line of thinking, and make connections to real-world objects and situations.
Cognitive Improvement
Early numeracy lessons can be instrumental in keeping your child’s brain active as they puzzle over answers and possible strategies, learn new ways of thinking, and work out problems on their own as their understanding grows. Not only does this promote flexible thinking, but it can also encourage them to learn numeracy foundations on their own (and with your support) out of genuine curiosity.
How You Can Foster Early Numeracy Skills
Early numeracy starts from the moment your child is born as they interact with the world around them. Here is how you can foster the development of these skills to help them along the way as they grow up.
Play with Patterns
Pattern recognition is a core part that helps children develop number sense and understand the many concepts of numeracy. Anything that they interact with, be it through sight, touch, or sound, has various properties that children can slowly become accustomed to.
For example, you can teach them about number sense by using soft toys. Arrange them in two sets of three soft toys to show they always have the same number of soft toys, even if the soft toys in one set are placed further away from one another. Then, by putting all six soft toys together and separating them into two groups of two and a second group of four, they learn how numbers can be composed of smaller parts.
Use Comparisons
You can also use simple comparisons to help develop this pattern recognition to build their early numeracy. Concepts like big and small, or high and low, can be taught through everyday activities and interactions. For example, you can use your child’s favourite toys to teach them to distinguish different sizes and other measurements like height and length. Letting them sort out the cutlery in the dining room can provide counting opportunities: how many forks and spoons are on the table?
Fun and Games
Thankfully, imparting these lessons can be easy. For one, children are always excited at the prospect of playing games with their parents or friends. These can serve as enjoyable teaching tools that offer exciting learning through play, whether it is through board games at home (Snakes & Ladders is a fun yet simple board game perfect for basic numeracy lessons) or outdoor trips where your child can learn from their surroundings.
Use the Environment
Speaking of the outdoors, there are so many things you can also use in your local environment to teach numeracy. Taking your child out for a walk is a great way to find opportunities for activities to keep them occupied while they learn something new. One simple example is to have your child count the number of pigeons they see, and make comparisons to other features like their sizes, colours, and distance.
Story Time Sessions
Reading aloud with your child is not only an excellent way to bond with them, but it also allows you to incorporate quick and easy numeracy activities to support your child’s learning. A simple start is to read books that feature numeracy concepts, such as counting. You can also foster your child’s participation by asking questions that can test their numeracy understanding: “How many birds are there on the page?”
Teaching Through Songs
You can also spend time singing number songs that feature numbers, repetition, and rhymes together with your child. “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe” and “This Old Man” are a few well-known classics that teach various fundamentals, such as number sense, incremental counting, and even promoting memorisation to help your children remember and apply maths concepts correctly.
Fun Early Numeracy Skills Activities
Building Blocks
Building blocks of different shapes and sizes can be arranged in various positions and stacked on or beside other blocks. Your child will be able to see, touch, and feel the differences of each building block and find out how to arrange them to form a stable and elaborate-looking structure. As a result, they can further develop their linguistic and positional understanding of these interactions. For example, you may tell them to “put that rectangular block underneath the smaller square block” and demonstrate the action to help them understand what to do and how to do it again.
Number Songs
Music offers an entertaining avenue to teach numeracy, letting your child happily sing and dance to the tune of fun number songs. Classics like “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe” and “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep” offer simple numeracy development by letting your child sing and count aloud. The chirpy, lively tunes will surely get your child tapping their feet and dancing away with glee while also learning simple math skills. You can also incorporate other songs in between, like “Puppy in the Window”, to also support their literacy learning simultaneously.
Simple Board Games
Board games can also offer learning opportunities for counting, identifying numbers, making estimations, and comparing numbers. The easiest would be memory games that develop their pattern recognition and differentiation and gradually improve their cognitive abilities. Other games like Ludo or Snakes & Ladders can also teach them to recognise quantities with each dice roll and correlate the result to their moves on the board, further developing their numerical understanding.
Outdoor Number Hunt
An outdoor number hunt also doubles as a sight word hunt, allowing your child to look for specific numbers, shapes, words, or a combination of elements. Give them a clipboard with the elements to look for, and whenever they find one, write it down in its numerical and alphabetical form (“10” and “ten”). They can find these numbers on various environmental objects, from road signs to car license plates. You can also engage them in pattern understanding and other math concepts to help promote their learning further.
Alternatively, hold this as an indoor activity and place the elements to find on sticky notes pasted all over the house or compound for your child to find.
Embark on a Numeracy Journey with Read With Me
At Read With Me, we impart early numeracy lessons through many educational activities through our tailored learning programmes. Our numeracy classes for kids help children learn through play, providing them with exciting classroom sessions that also build strong foundational numeracy skills. Enrol with us today!
