Nursery World - Everyday objects and picture books help children to develop early maths

Picture books and everyday objects can be powerful tools for helping to develop children’s understanding of basic maths, new research shows.

Pine cones are some of the everyday objects that can help children to develop their early understanding of maths, the report says Photo: EEF

A new report by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) reviews the best available evidence for early years settings and schools for improving maths for three- to seven-year-olds, highlighting how picture books and everyday items can be powerful tools for engaging children with basic maths concepts.

The early maths guidance gives early years settings and schools five recommendations to help their pupils develop easy maths skills and close the numeracy attainment gap.

It suggests that to develop maths skills through reading, practitioners can ask children to count all the feet of different animals in a picture book, and then show them with their fingers. This simple reading habit can then be practised at home, it says.

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