Sean Fitzgerald
FIT18000750
Unit 10
The is a number of different factors that can
affect children’s understanding of mathematics.
Understanding mathematical teaching and
The attitudes of the parents and other adults
learning in the early years
around the children can affect the children’s
Mathematics as a part of a child’s everyday life understanding if the attitude is negative as the
(D1) children will respond to this type of attitude
badly and if they start to believe in this attitude
We can support children to develop and learn their attention, self-confidence and natural
mathematic skills and knowledge through drive will start to decrease, and the children will
everyday life. The is a number of different ways have no motivation to want to focus on the
we can do this at home and outside. We can work and complete. Their natural drive to want
bring counting into everyday life through to explore and discover new mathematical skills
counting the stairs as the child walks up or and knowledge because the attitude that they
down them, counting while playing such as get from the parents discourages the children’s
counting the number of building blocks used to natural drive and because of this and not
create the tower as well as talking what shapes wanting to do the work their self-confidence
they used to create the tower. We can also will be low as they start to discover that the
bring maths into the outdoors through playing other children around them will be further
games such as hopscotch having the children developed in their mathematic knowledge and
jump between each spot while counting and skills and they wont be, because of this they
playing games such as collecting the most sticks may fell that they don’t want to put their hand
or stones and counting the amount you have up or attempt questions in the fear that they
after a certain amount of time. We can also will be wrong and become embarrassed.
input key questions and key language in the
everyday events such as asking questions such One major factor that can affect children’s
as what time should we have dinner? When understanding of mathematics is dyscalculia
doing this we should point to a clock and tell which is similar to dyslexia. Dyscalculia means
them the time. We should also ask questions that children with it find it hard to work with
such as do you want one more? One good idea numbers and they find it hard to perform
to introduce mathematics into the children’s accurate math calculations, reason and problem
play is through building a fort which can be solve and perform other basic math skills. This
done indoors and outdoors, you can use a range will make the children feel that they can’t
of different sized boxes such as large and small, complete the work and they may feel too shy or
a broad to balance on and so on. The best way embarrassed to answer questions, put their
to introduce mathematics in everyday life is hand up or talk in front of the class to answer
through play and normal activities such as going the question. We can support the children
shopping. “Young children have lots of through this by taking our time and showing to
important mathematical experiences every day the children that it is okay to be wrong and that
and there are lots of ways to help them begin to we will learn from that, also that we are there
develop their mathematical skills.” (Early to support them and show them how to work
Education) around this. “Dyscalculia is present in about 11
percent of children with attention deficit
Factors which affect children’s understanding hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or ADD).”
of mathematics (D2) (Attitude, 2020)
Page 1 of 6
, Sean Fitzgerald
FIT18000750
Unit 10
How to create an environment which supports to think critically and use their knowledge and
the children’s mathematical development. (D3) skills to find the answer. The use of posters is
also very useful and can be used to allow the
Creating an environment that is enriched with
children to reference to when they are doing
mathematical elements will help to support the
the work and benefit their knowledge and skills
children with their mathematical development
and help to further their development through
and expand on their skills and knowledge. Some
being reminded through visual support of their
elements that you can include to make the
mathematical needs and support aids.
environment enriching are interactive display
boards, number lines, questions on the walls “Encourage children to see the links with maths
and posters. Interactive display boards can and other areas of the nursery, including the
allow the children to interact with the displays outdoors.” (Nursery World, 2012)
around them, by allowing the children to
The importance of using mathematical
interact with a maths board such as being able
language (D4)
to group pictures or objects and matching them
with the correct number and being able to feel It is important that we use mathematical
more comfortable about their mathematical language so that the children can have a good
skills as well as be able to come and go to use understanding of mathematics. The use of
the board in their own time and be able to mathematical language helps to support skills
freely use it and not be forced to do the work such as problem solving, understanding and
but instead be naturally interested in it and using shapes and measure and developing their
make it fun. own spatial awareness, it also helps to support
the children in recognising, creating and
Number lines are very useful and really good to
describing patterns which is essential to early
have in the environment. They can be used for
problem solving. “Introducing maths to children
nearly everything and be used at any time, the
from an early age helps to develop their
children will have clear access to the numbers
understanding of all elements of problem
where they can recognise their numbers, link
solving and reasoning in a broad range of
the names of numbers to the writing of them
contexts.” (NDNA, 2018)
and be able to use it for counting and solving
problems such as addition and subtraction. The The use of mathematical language such as
number lines can be made of anything, hung up shape names, numbers, key phrases such as
on the ceiling, the wall and on the floor and be talking about space, time and size helps to
used by all the children and have free access to support the children’s mathematical
when they are working and playing. The development and helps to encourage the
number lines can be used to support the children to use the same language. As we
children’s number work and be done in play already know children see us as the role model
such as creating a hopscotch game with the and like to copy us therefore the language that
numbers in the squares and having the children we use will reflect onto the children which
count the numbers as they jump. means that when we use mathematical
language such as ‘is the enough space to put
Questions on the wall such as ‘how many toys
this here?’ the children will become critical
are here’ will help to promote to the children
thinkers and think about the question and find
about thinking and using the maths skills to
an answer as well as absorbing that language
answer the questions challenging the children
and adding it to their vocabulary in which they
Page 2 of 6
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