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ABC and 123: Laying the foundations of numeracy in the early years

There is lots of academic evidence to support the importance of the home learning environment and how stories, songs and rhymes can support a child’s language and literacy development.

Genre: Maths
Topics: Bookbug

Last updated: 27 February 2020

It’s in a child’s earliest years that the foundations of learning are set and the chats and discussion we have with children can impact on their language as well as their thinking skills. This is also a prime opportunity to lay the foundations of numeracy.

Here are some ways to work numeracy into your conversations with children:

It’s the conversations and interactions with children that provide them with the richest learning experiences. Thinking about the kind of language we use when playing and talking with children can help to lay the foundations of numeracy. And these maths skills – and the rich vocabulary - will support their later learning. Numeracy concepts may be tricky to learn but if children are engaged in play and discussions when these concepts are introduced, they’ll grasp the meaning of them without even realising it.   

For picture books that celebrate numeracy, you can check out our books about numbers and counting(this link will open in a new window) for young children.