Positive relationships: A parent's guide to ... early maths

A good starting point is to remember that babies and young children pick things up quickly without any formal teaching. If you have a toddler, you probably have spotted that 'more' was a quickly acquired word! This means that you do not need to reach for any flashcards, maths colouringin sheets or computer games. Through chatting with your child and playing a few games, they pick up quite a few mathematical skills. So let's start off with babies.

BABIES

If you have a baby, you are probably doing maths with them without realising it. Building up a tower of bricks or stacking beakers and letting them knock it down helps them to learn that things can change shape. It also helps them to notice size. In the same way, if you roll a ball, your baby is learning about speed and distance. Being rocked and also hearing rhymes will also help your baby. Your child is learning about patterns. You may also notice that your baby reacts if you suddenly stop singing or rocking. In the first year or so, most babies will also learn about things being finished or empty if they are shown empty bowls and we say 'all gone'. Again, this is all mathematical, and if you combine this with a few classic toys such as a jack-in-the-box and some pop-up toys, your child will be well on their way.