Nursery World - Learning & Development: Maths

The foundations for mathematics should be laid early, but what is
an appropriate approach for supporting the under-threes? Judith Stevens looks at creating enabling maths-rich environments

How children learn about numbers and develop mathematical understanding during the pre-school years is vitally important and sets them on a path towards numeracy skills and confidence in later life. In 2013/14, 28 per cent of children in England failed to achieve the expected level in mathematics at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) (Department for Education, 2014), and once children fall behind they often continue to do so throughout school.

But the issue with the teaching of mathematics doesn't begin in the Reception year, or even when children reach their third birthday; the foundations for mathematical learning need to be laid much earlier.

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