Maths

I want your child to develop the mathematical skills, ideas and concepts they need, by ensuring that they can play in a rich mathematical environment where opportunities to explore and discover are plentiful. Many adults can experience differing levels of anxiety around their maths abilities, and this can easily transfer to children. I will support your child to have a positive attitude to maths, by being a good role model, because ultimately a good level of maths will have life long benefits. I will do this by providing lots of different mathematical toys for them to independently and freely pick from the shelves. Play is their learning and when your child has initiated the play by reaching a maths resource down from the shelf, their learning is even deeper.

I want your child to learn about these key areas of maths:

Counting

So they develop the skills of counting objects including saying the numbers in order.

Composition of number

So they understand that one number can be made up from (composed from) two or more smaller numbers.

Cardinal principal

So they understand that the last number spoken in a counting sequence gives you the total quantity for that set.

Number bond

So they understand how pairs of numbers make up a given number e.g., the number bonds for 5 are ‘1 and 4’ and ‘2 and 3’.

Spatial thinking

So they learn to think about relations between objects and space, and find meaning in the shape, size, orientation, location, direction or trajectory of objects.

Sustained shared thinking

So they learn to work together with one or more people to solve a problem, clarify an issue, evaluate an activity or extend a narrative.

Subitise

So they can quickly identify the number of items in a small group without having to count them. Comes from the Latin word “subito” which means suddenly.

Have lots of Manipulative’s

So they can move and interact with the objects to aid teaching of maths concepts.

Measure

They use a variety of objects like rules, tapes, measuring jugs, scales, right angles, stop watch, clocks etc to ascertain the size, amount, or degree of something .

Quantity

So they can work out a certain, usually specified, amount or number of something.

Shape

So they learn the qualities of a distinct object or body(having an external surface or outline of specific form or figure). This will include two dimensional (2D) shapes, e.g., circle, square, and three dimensional (3D) shapes, e.g., sphere, cube.

Double Facts

So they can add a number to itself in an easy sum. For example, 2 + 2, 3 + 3 etc. Your child will learn to internalise double facts, which is a helpful building block in developing fluency in adding.

Strategies I will use to support your child's maths journey will be: to scaffold their learning by building on what they already know, and planning for adult led, as well as child initiated experiences throughout their day, indoors and outdoors. Your child will experience maths embedded into everything we do: ‘Do you want to cut your brioche into half or quarters?’. Or ‘Are you going to use the triangle, square or rectangle play dough cutter? What other shapes could we cut it into?’ Your child will use maths practically and relevantly, for example, measuring in cooking; tapping out a beat to music; to score a game or keep tally; role play, and outside play, with calendars, clocks, door numbers, number plates, road signs etc. Your child will be supported to apply their mathematical knowledge by counting out paintbrushes or plates so each child gets one. Games might include ‘What’s the time, Mr Wolf?’, ‘I spy’ (with numbers and shapes), ‘Simon says’, or ‘musical chairs’. We have a large variety of Orchard box games to support maths, as well as board games like snakes and ladders, dominoes, hopscotch and skittles. I will use maths vocabulary with your child throughout the day and ask relevant maths questions. Your child will enjoy maths in stories, songs, rhymes and poems like days of the week in 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar'; shapes in ‘Round and round the garden’; numbers in ‘Five Little Monkeys jumping on the bed’; sequencing in ‘We’re going on a bear hunt’; time and size in ‘The bad tempered ladybird’; or patterns in ‘Aliens love underpants’. Above all I will support your child by giving them the freedom and time to repeat, recall, and practice, so they develop a deep understanding of different mathematical concepts.