Here at Fixby House, Huddersfield we encourage maths to become part of the children’s daily routine. All our Team members use maths in ways the children realise it or not through the different experiences that the team create.

1. Shape, Space and Measure

Shape, space and measure can refer to anything from size and weight to distance and time, and is a very important aspect of early maths development. The EYFS outlines that children explore shape, space and measure by describing the characteristics of everyday objects – Activities like jigsaw puzzles can help children to develop an understanding of size and shape, here are some more ideas for activities to help develop shape, space and measure skills:

• Play with construction blocks and lego: this can help to encourage children’s spatial thinking.
• Shape hunt! Try creating a scavenger hunt around different shapes, and encourage your child to compare the shapes to different everyday objects to see if they match.
• Natural fruit printing: If you have spare fruits and vegetables that are going to waste in your kitchen, you can use them to print different shapes with paints – this activity is also great for sensory exploration!

2. Numbers and counting

You may be surprised to learn that children have a natural sense of number from birth. Maths is all around us, and concepts such as “all gone” or “one more” are very early signs of understanding addition and subtraction (hint: think about this the next time you’re playing ‘peekaboo’ with your child!). Here are some ideas for helping to promote counting skills:

• Nursery rhymes: try singing nursery rhymes with your child that focus on counting from 1-10. Rhymes such as One Elephant Went Out to Play can help children to practice counting to 10, whereas 10 Green Bottles can help them to practice counting backwards from 10, too!
• Number detectives! Try spotting numbers when you’re out and about – you might find them on car registration plates or on the front of buses and houses. Finding links to numbers in your everyday life can help with your child’s number recognition.

3. Make it part of your daily routine

Maths in all its forms is part of our daily routine, whether we realise it or not. If your child is beginning to understand that they have meal-times, play-times and bed-times at certain points in the day, they are already developing a sense of time. Children are also developing excellent problem solving skills all the time as they learn and explore, and will benefit from seeing their friends or family model effective problem solving.

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