At Little Scallywags, we believe maths is everywhere! From the moment our youngest babies begin exploring the world around them to our Pre School children preparing for their next big adventure at school, mathematical language is happening all around us!
Maths is so much more than counting numbers. Its about exploring, noticing patterns, comparing sizes, recognising shapes, understanding space, solving problems and making sense of the world. By providing exciting, meaningful experiences throughout the nursery, we can help children develop a love of maths from the very beginning.
For our babies, early mathematical learning begins with simple, sensory experiences. Whether they are exploring objects of different sizes, filling and emptying containers, enjoying songs and rhymes with repetition, or watching objects move and disappear, they are beginning to develop an understanding of mathematical concepts. Everyday routines, such as mealtimes and play, also provide wonderful opportunities to hear mathematical language.
As our Toddlers grow in confidence, we encourage them to investigate, experiment and discover. They might enjoy sorting objects by colour and size, building towers with blocks, exploring shapes, filling and emptying buckets in the sand or water areas, or counting as they climb the steps. Through these playful experiences, children begin to notice similarities and differences, explore quantities and develop an understanding of concepts such as big and small, full and empty, more or less.
In our Pre School room, we build on these foundations by providing opportunities to develop mathematical thinking in increasingly challenging ways. Children might count objects, compare quantities, recognise numerals, create patterns, explore 2D and 3D shapes, investigate measuring and ordering or use mathematical language during construction and imaginative play. We encourage children to think for themselves, explain their ideas and find solutions to problems.
Maths is not limited to a planned activity or time spent around a table. We intentionally embed maths into all areas of our nursery environment and throughout children’s daily experiences! Our practitioners play an important role in bringing these experiences to life – by doing this, we are building the foundations children need for future learning, including their transition to school.
So whether a child is filling a cup with water, building the tallest tower, spotting a pattern on a walk or counting their friends as they line up to come in from outside, remember – maths really is everywhere!!
