Maths is fun!

1. Maths is fun! The most popular TV show in history, an animated comedy, had a writing staff packed with maths experts. If you can work out the odds of that happening by chance, they'd probably give you a job. But whatever you make of this, the fact that mathematicians are behind the most successful comedy in history does somewhat annihilate the stereotypical view that maths, and by extension mathematicians, are no fun, or "humourless".

2. Aims • To explain how we teach Maths within our indoor and outdoor areas. • To give you an understanding of the development stages within our Maths curriculum. • To explore resources and strategies within our areas. • To share with you some ideas of how you can support your child at home with Maths.

3. Introduction • The teaching of Mathematics in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is made up of two main areas: • Numbers • Shape, Space and Measures

4. Number 22 to 36 months • Selects a small number of objects from a group when asked, for example, ‘please give me one’, ‘please give me two’. • Recites some number names in sequence. • Creates and experiments with symbols and marks representing ideas of number. • Begins to make comparisons between quantities. • Uses some language of quantities, such as ‘more’ and ‘a lot’. • Knows that a group of things changes in quantity when something is added or taken away.

5. Number 30 t0 50 months • Uses some number names and number language spontaneously. • Uses some number names accurately in play. • Recites numbers in order to 10. • Knows that numbers identify how many objects are in a set. • Beginning to represent numbers using fingers, marks on paper or pictures. • Sometimes matches numeral and quantity correctly. • Shows curiosity about numbers by offering comments or asking questions. • Compares two groups of objects, saying when they have the same number. • Shows an interest in number problems. • Separates a group of three or four objects in different ways, beginning to recognise that the total is still the same. • Shows an interest in numerals in the environment. • Shows an interest in representing numbers. • Realises not only objects, but anything can be counted, including steps, claps or jumps.

6. Number 40 to 60 months • Recognise some numerals of personal significance. • Recognises numerals 1 to 5. • Counts up to three or four objects by saying one number name for each item. • Counts actions or objects which cannot be moved. • Counts objects to 10, and beginning to count beyond 10. • Counts out up to six objects from a larger group. • Selects the correct numeral to represent 1 to 5, then 1 to 10 objects. • Counts an irregular arrangement of up to ten objects. • Estimates how many objects they can see and checks by counting them. • Uses the language of ‘more’ and ‘fewer’ to compare two sets of objects. • Finds the total number of items in two groups by counting all of them. • Says the number that is one more than a given number. • Finds one more or one less from a group of up to five objects, then ten objects. • In practical activities and discussion, beginning to use the vocabulary involved in adding and subtracting. • Records, using marks that they can interpret and explain. • Begins to identify own mathematical problems based on own interests and fascinations. Early Learning Goal Children count reliably with numbers from one to 20, place them in order and say which number is one more or one less than a given number. Using quantities and objects, they add and subtract two single-digit numbers and count on or back to find the answer. They solve problems, including doubling, halving and sharing.

7. Shape, space and measures 22 to 36 months • Notices simple shapes and patterns in pictures. • Beginning to categorise objects according to properties such as shape or size. • Begins to use the language of size. • Understands some talk about immediate past and future, e.g. ‘before’, ‘later’ or ‘soon’. • Anticipates specific time-based events such as mealtimes or home time.

8. Shape, space and measures 30 to 50 months • Shows an interest in shape and space by playing with shapes or making arrangements with objects. • Shows awareness of similarities of shapes in the environment. • Uses positional language. • Shows interest in shape by sustained construction activity or by talking about shapes or arrangements. • Shows interest in shapes in the environment. • Uses shapes appropriately for tasks. • Beginning to talk about the shapes of everyday objects, e.g. ‘round’ and ‘tall’.

9. Shape, space and measures 40 to 60 months • • Beginning to use mathematical names for ‘solid’ 3D shapes and ‘flat’ 2D shapes, and • mathematical terms to describe shapes. • • Selects a particular named shape. • • Can describe their relative position such as ‘behind’ or ‘next to’. • • Orders two or three items by length or height. • • Orders two items by weight or capacity. • • Uses familiar objects and common shapes to create and recreate patterns and build models. • • Uses everyday language related to time. • • Beginning to use everyday language related to money. • • Orders and sequences familiar events. • • Measures short periods of time in simple ways. • Early Learning Goal • Children use everyday language to talk about size, weight, capacity, position, distance, time and money to compare quantities and objects and to solve problems. They recognise, create and describe patterns. They explore characteristics of everyday objects and shapes and use mathematical language to describe them.

10. Maths at St John’s • Children begin at St John’s with a mix of skills and our initial aim is to fill the gaps. • When we say a child “knows her numbers” what we often mean is that she can recite the names • of numbers in ascending order. This is quite useful to be able to do, but it means very little in itself. • Children need to come to know what the number system really means. They can be helped to do this • through play.

11. Conservation of Numbers • One of the first things they have to learn is about conservation – that 3 is always 3 no matter how it is • arranged or presented, whether it is the number 3, the letters for three, 3 bricks, 3 buttons on a coat or 3 Billy Goats Gruff. • Before a child can understand numbers for things that can be seen – 3 miles, 3 years old – s/he needs real objects which can be seen and handled with a chance to check that the count is right each time.

12. Mathematical Language • • You can help to promote mathematical language • such as – heavy, light, empty, full, long, short, big, • small in relevant contexts • • Look at your home environment to develop • language, especially positional words – small object • in front of big object, behind, in, on • Children in particular struggle with the concept of less/fewer (not a word we commonly use in everyday life)

13. Maths activities in our indoor area • Counting how many children are dinners or sandwiches. Are there fewer sandwiches?/counting children in the assembly line/choice of snack • Birthdays- counting cards, candles • Sand/Water - using sand can develop mathematical concepts and language, e.g. heavy, light, empty, full, big, little; capacity how much will it hold; make shapes and patterns; provide boxes and materials of different shapes and sizes to compare weight and quantity; Look at the differences between wet and dry as a means of looking at weights • Role Play - setting places at the table – a cup for me, a cup for you; helping to sort the washing, matching socks, big shirt / small shirt; matching lids to saucepans, weighing parcels, dolls clothes, • Easels – painting numbers, patterns, addition sentences • Writing – number formation, tallies, money, more/less • Construction – mathematical language, taller/shorter/tallest/shortest, comparing quantities, flat and solid shapes • Playdough - develops mathematical language – short, long, fat, thin; make shapes of different dimensions – flat shapes, 3-d solid shapes; create opportunities to compare things that float with things that do not • Books – counting, shapes, patterns, symmetry • Tidy up time - putting similar items together

14. Maths activities in our outdoor area • Role Play – garden centre - weighing parcels, buying seeds, money, finding change, changes prices, 1 more, counting, • Cars/Bikes – ordering, recognising numbers, matching, ordering 1st, 2nd, 3rd • Lego Bricks – sorting into colours, size, shape, tallest, shortest, taller than • Physical – positional language – under, over, on top, on, in, through, behind, next to • Natural Elements – by planting seeds we can help to develop your child’s understanding of time and the life cycle of plants; watch as the plants grow and even measure your plant – develop language such as taller; teach your child about the different seasons and plant different items at different times of the year to compare colours, flowers, smells. • Imaginative – sort clothes on a washing line, order items, sequence time lines • Water – capacity, floating/sinking, • Shape Hunt

15. Keep maths practical and have fun! • Bath-time (filling and emptying containers, counting) • Counting rhymes • Talk about numbers in the environment (eg, front door numbers, number plates, road signs etc) • Help with the cooking (measuring, weighing, ordering the recipe) • Setting table places (how many plates/cups etc) • Paying in shops (including change) • Estimating amounts (how many apples/sweets?)

16. Handouts • Mathematical language • Ideas for Maths activities at home

17. Useful websites • http://nrich.maths.org/early-years • http://www.nationalnumeracy.org.uk/resources/86/index.html • http://www.counton.org/resources/it-all-adds-up/your-child-counts/