Math Moments: Walk

August 24, 2017

Did you know that a strong foundation in early math skills not only supports success in math later in life but also in reading and overall academic achievement? This might seem daunting, especially for those who may not feel overly confident in their own math skills, but supporting the development of early math skills is much easier than you think, in fact, you are most likely doing it all day every day already!

For the past few weeks we have been sharing short videos that we have created to help inspire caregivers to capitalize on the teachable moments that naturally arise throughout our days. If you have seen the other videos you may have noticed that counting is a recurring theme. This is very intentional. Research shows that one of the most important tools we can give young child is the ability to have a strong mental number line and the best way to develop a strong mental number line it to count. This weeks video is all about neighborhood math. Try it while you are walking to school or the park. Math is all around us!

Do you have favorite out and about math activities? When I taught preschool we would go on shape walks. I would love to hear about what you are doing with your little ones! Post a comment here or on our social media outlets. Happy counting!

Sources:

Brownell, Jeanine O’Nan. (2014) Big ideas of early mathematics: what teachers of young children need to know. Boston: Pearson

Duncan, G. J., Dowsett, C. J., Claessens, A., Magnuson, K., Huston, A. C., Klebanov, P., … & Sexton, H. (2007). School readiness and later achievement. Developmental psychology, 43(6), 1428.