MATHEMATICS & NUMERACY

Math and numeracy teach young children logic, reasoning and spatial awareness. Math is a way of organizing the world through numbers, patterns, shapes, measurements and time. Young children investigate these concepts through play—sorting and comparing, building with blocks measuring their water play or counting how many marbles they can drop into a hole. Early exposure to numeracy and mathematical principles fosters reasoning as children learn to understand relationships and make predictions. Isbell and Yoshizawa (2016) assert that numeracy fosters cognitive development with implications for allowing children to explore concepts through multiple answers. When math can be playful, malleable and creative, children learn great concepts with confidence and joy.

Theories and Perspectives

Bruner's theory of discovery learning supports that children should learn problem-solving and investigative techniques relative to numeracy. If children only memorize numbers with no understanding of where they come from or how they can be conceptually represented, learning does not transfer. Likewise, the Torrance Model of Creativity—fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration—also applies to math as Howard and Mayesky (2022) explain that children can create mathematical ideas through patterns and understanding of visual-spatial relationships. Therefore, creativity assessed relative to math is not about developing new equations but problem-solving relative to flexibility and open-mindedness which will support an important mathematical foundation from young onward.

Resources and Technologies

Loose parts (buttons, bottle caps), counting bears/puzzles/geoboards/measuring cups/clocks/pattern blocks assist with hands-on learning experiences with numeracy. Apps like Moose Math or DragonBox Numbers feature child-friendly games that work with shape counting and logic. Non-digital applications include whiteboards for number games or sorting activities, activities that involve measurement in real life (cooking or construction) which educators can extend with journals, number books or math games. Isbell and Yoshizawa (2016) suggest that it's important for children to learn concepts through play as they can discover patterns, assess their expectations and apply learned information to real-world situations.

Activities Using Art

0-2 Years:

  • Stack and Count-Educator counts baby stacked rings or cups.
  • Shape Development– Soft geometric shapes promote geometric exploration/spatial awareness.

    • 2-3 years:

  • Sorting Baskets-Educator gives items for sorting shape/color/size (with some items that can be learned from). This promotes categorization/comparison.
  • Number Songs–Fingerplay songs—"Five Little Ducks"—to other counting songs introduces numbers, song flow, to finger counting.

    • 3-5 years:

  • Pattern Play- Educator brings in beads/blocks—showing them colors/sizes—for children to create patterns or extend pre-made patterns.
  • Cooking Rats– Simple cooking experiences to count measuring cups/spoons, compare sizes, etc.

    • 6-8 years:

  • Math Trail-Children take a walk and measure/count what's around—clipboards in hand.
  • Board Game Design– Use dice/spinners/create scoring rules for new number-themed board games.

    • Critical Reflection

    Two learning experiences I selected to implement were "Pattern Play" and "Math Trail"; both illustrated to me that numeracy can be creative, engaging, and represent inquiry-based thinking. For instance, in "Pattern Play", younger children focused on color/size and extended patterns on their own while articulating their reasoning with a sense of confidence. Similarly, when I facilitated "Math Trail" with the older children, it connected math to the outdoors as they measured leaves and estimated how far one side of the classroom was from the other—this made math seek able in an ordinary experience! What worked was the structure yet freedom involved; while they were given tasks, they were also asked to share their thoughts and explore beyond a guiding minumal baseline. However, what I noted that some children struggled with being outdoors; it was overwhelming, reflecting on the potentially open-minded notion of inquiry. Next time I would provide scaffolding (e.g., "Find something that is taller than your foot") to help narrow their focus. Additionally, I would make our reflection time a group event so everyone has the chance to share their strategies or finds. As Howard & Mayesky (2022) note, effective strategies to support creativity in maths allows individuals to be flexible in approach and confident in their thinking—which emerged in this learning experience! Ultimately, I learned that math is not about right or wrong, but exploring and articulating to various means. I will continue to foster play-based learning opportunities tied to math; what they learned beyond the projects is that math is transformative through challenge and uncertainty so they can approach the problem with inquiry confidence.