Maths is an important part of learning in the early years. It provides vital life skills that will help children problem solve, measure and develop their own spatial awareness and teach them how to use and understand shapes.

 

We encourage the use of maths skills in our daily routine. Maths skills are developed in role play, construction, stories and rhymes, messy play, outdoor play, imaginative play and exploring.

 

Nursery is a great environment for problem solving and to help solve these problems together. Staff can often be heard asking 'I have a problem, can anyone help me?' problems could be 'How can I move the water from this bowl to another bowl? How can I make my tower taller or my track longer?' or 'How can I fit these pieces into a puzzle' There are many 'problems the children can help to solve at Nursery and at home.

 

Within our nursery setting we have an inviting maths area with a large range of maths resources to enhance play and learning including:

 

      * Peg boards    * Sorting bears    * 2D and 3D shapes    * playdough    * number books and rhymes 

   * puzzles    * Building blocks and construction    * Shape sorters    * small world toys

 

These resources and many more are incorporated into our daily activities and are available for the children to access independently.

 

      

 

Anything can be a maths resource and numbers and shapes can be found everywhere within our environment. Here are some ideas of maths activities for you to try at home with your children:

 

  * Sort everyday objects into colour, shape, size. For example; put socks into pairs, sort stones from the garden into large and small, sort some building blocks by colour.

 

  * Count objects found around the home; cars on the street, trees, pasta pieces, toys you could try counting jumps or claps and how many stairs there are as you go up and down them.

 

  * Go on a treasure hunt; Can you find 2 teddy bears? 3 leaves? 1 cushion etc. 

 

  * Go on a number hunt; look for numbers in the house and when you are out and about.

 

  * Shape hunt; What shapes can you find around your home and in the environment outside?

 

 

                   

 

 

 

   If you would like any help or guidance with your child's development please ask a member of staff