Mathematics in Reception
There are many ways you can help your child in maths. Adults use lots of maths at home in everyday activities such as cooking, shopping and DIY.
We use a range of maths while spending money, measuring, calculating, and so on. You can talk with your child about things such as which coin to use to pay for an ice lolly, how many oranges to buy, and whether or not she is taller than her cousin.
On the back of this leaflet you will find a list of some of the things your child will be learning about numbers. In Reception the focus is on accurate counting, knowing which numbers are bigger or smaller than others, and the beginnings of addition and subtraction. But maths also includes patterns, measuring, and shape and space. Your child will learn about all of these.
Ways to help your child with maths:
Make a set of number cards from 0 to 20…
You can play the following games usingnumbers
0-10 initially, moving on to using cards up to 20 as
your child becomes more confident:
-Ask your child to put the cards in order.
-When they are in order, tell your child to shut her/his eyes. Turn over one of the cards. Can she/he tell you which number it is?
-Try the same thing but with the numbers jumbled up
-When the cards are in order, tell your child to shut her/her eyes. Now swap two around. Can she/he replace the cards the way they should be?
-Jumble up the cards and hide one. Can your child find out which number is missing?
-Ask your child to choose a number card, then go and collect that many objects. You could have a rule, such as all the objects must be red, or you must be able to wear them.
-Make a second set of numbers and use them to play ‘pairs’ by turning all the cards over and then turning two cards over at a time until a matching pair is found.
Maths in the kitchen
You can use everyday life in the kitchen to teach maths…
Put a biscuit on each plate. How many do you need?
Can you find me threebigpotatoes?
See if there’s a bigger plate to put the cake on.
Rhymes and games
Number rhymes
Encourage your child to join in withnumber rhymes.
The following rhymes are good for supporting one less/subtraction:
-10 Green Bottles
-5 Little Speckled Frogs
-5 Little Ducks
-5 Current Buns
You can adapt theones you know by using different numbers or different things.
Buttons and beads
You need an ordinary dice and about 100 small objects, such as buttons,
beads, coins or paper clips. Each player needs a small cup, or small pot.
Take turns to toss a dice and collect that number of buttons.
The first person to fill up their pot wins!
What is my child expected to be able to do by the end of the year?
In Reception your child will be learning to:
-Count up to 100 as part of a group
-Count objects accurately, saying one number for each item
-Recognise the written numbers 1, 2, 3, 4... up to at least 20
-Use words to compare size, weight, and quantity, such as more, less, greater, smaller, heavier, lighter
- Find one more or one less than any number from 1 to 20
-Add and subtract using small groups of objects, begin to record this as a number sentence/sum
-Make simple, repeating patterns and talk about them.
-Name 2D and 3D shapes and begin to talk about their properties
-Use positional language to describe where things are, such as over, under, above, below, on, in, next to, beside