Making mathematical moments count: Maximising opportunities for learning maths throughout the day
Developing a sound understanding of mathematics when learners are young is essential. Children’s early mathematical understanding is strongly associated with their later school achievement.
Maths, therefore, has a major impact on young people’s educational progress and life outcomes.
Improving Mathematics in the Early Years and Key Stage 1/ P1 reviews the best available evidence to offer five recommendations for developing the maths skills of 3 – 7‑year olds. Based on the best available international research – and drawing on the expertise of teachers and academics – this report is packed with examples and case studies to support practitioners.
One of the recommendations made by the EEF includes integrating maths into different activities throughout the day – for example, at registration and snack time – to familiarise children with maths language and make the most of the school day.
It also highlights that story and picture books can be a powerful tool for engaging children with basic maths concepts (more on that later!) while board games (such as Snakes and Ladders) are particularly beneficial to developing understanding of numbers. Check out this Instagram post:
Photographs can populate the frames or children can use their own graphics to draw a self portrait. Lots of opportunities for subitising, for comparing 'more than' and 'less then' and for sum (addition) and difference (subtraction) discussions. Learners may even start to calculate.
I think it might surprise you at how much of the number curriculum in P1 and Year 1 can be taught in ‘mathematical moments’ in the school day.
The Daily Count
The daily count was planned to support place value, but it provides other mathematical opportunities too.
Children could add a straw to the chart each school day of the year, bundling up 10 ones to make 1 ten as they go. The child adding the straw also writes up the day number. This number could become 'The Number of the Day'
Here's another way you might light to represent the school days:
After 100 days of the school year you could have a 100-day celebration, with ‘100’ themed teaching for the day and the children bring in 100 of something. Each gives opportunity to discuss the ‘hundredness’.
TOOTHLOSS CHART
Possibly my absolute favourite routine because loosing a tooth when you are wee is SUCH a big deal! Children REALLY engage with this context and there are so many rich maths discussions that emerge. It also provides a great opportunity to learn months of the year. Think carefully about how to mark the scale on the chart to get full mathematical potential out of the routine.
If you use blocks of paper (that the children put on the chart when they lose a tooth) it will end up looking more like a bar chart than a pictogram. This will also encourage the children to use the scale to find the total for each month rather than counting.
Voting Station
Children often enjoy having their say and helping to decide events, by choosing between options, such as which book to share in story time. This provides purposeful opportunities for comparing numbers. Adults could set up a ‘voting station’, displaying options such as books, and provide ‘voting bricks’ with each child’s name on to be placed next to their choice and number cards to label the results.timers, that children could use to time themselves as they fill up the container:
Ask children which of the two books displayed they would like at story time and give each child a brick with their name on, to place next to the book of their choice. Make towers of the bricks and discuss which option has the most votes, by comparing the numbers of bricks.
Shifting routines and developing maths provision...
Spend time reflecting upon existing provision to consider where opportunities for maths can happen. We can make these moments count by considering how our familiar practice – including everyday routines, learning environments and, most importantly, our role as educators – can be used to further develop and extend children’s mathematical learning and development.
I hope you've found this BLOG useful.
What maths routines do you use? How do you use them? Which ideas resonate with you? What do you disagree with? What questions do you still have? All views are welcome - post in the comments. Or SMASH the REPLY button! I can't wait to hear from you!
Thank you for all you do to support your children's number journey.
Love, Janey x
