Supporting and nurturing numerical learning and understanding
How can we support numerical learning and thinking in our children? How can we make numeracy relatable and contextually meaningful? Numeracy is part of everyday life and, therefore, a key skill to develop early on. Play is a perfect medium to build and nurture this learning seamlessly.
There’s often some confusion between maths and numeracy, and while they’re closely linked, they’re not the same.
Maths is a broader subject. It includes concepts like numbers, counting, patterns, and shapes and, later on, skills such as addition, subtraction, measurement, etc. You might see this in an activity where a child is asked to count objects, sort by colour or size, or name how many sides a shape has.
Numeracy, on the other hand, is how children use those ideas in everyday situations. It’s the practical, real-world application of maths. And for young children, this learning happens best through play, especially when it’s active, hands-on, and tied to routines or experiences that matter to them.
When children are building, exploring, problem-solving, or comparing, whether pouring water, stacking blocks, or setting the table, they develop a sense of how numbers and patterns work in real life. They come to see maths not as a subject, but as something useful, interesting, and part of how the world fits together.
How children learn is just as important as what they learn. The people around them, their environment, and the conversations they’re part of all shape their understanding. As educators, the language we use and the choices we make, both in how we set up environments and how we interact, can have a significant impact. Using clear, intentional teaching and rich mathematical language in everyday moments helps build children’s numerical thinking in ways that feel natural and connected to their play.
Early years educators can create environments and interactions that nurture and support numeracy through play.
Following are some suggestions for the Construction area – include the following (age and stage appropriate)
Measuring tapes
Spirit levels
Rulers
Clipboards and pencils
A wide variety of construction materials to challenge spatial awareness, predicting and estimating.
The skill of the educator is in planning the environment and using provocations to encourage children’s engagement in this area. Adding measuring tapes and spirit levels allows them to incorporate measurement and balance into their play. Do not assume they know what a measuring tape or a spirit level is for; explain and show their uses in relevant and meaningful ways. Images of buildings and structures such as bridges, skyscrapers and towers will often offer further inspiration and trigger imagination/ ideas.
Language is also key in supporting the implementation of numeracy in everyday play:
“Which one is taller?”
“How many blocks do you think you’ll need?”
“Can we make both sides the same length?”
“Oh no, the tower fell, why do you think that happened?”
“Let’s measure it with the tape—what does it say?”
When incorporating numeracy into everyday activities with very young children, use a descriptive pedagogical approach to describe the actions of the child and also to ask simple questions:
“You’re looking for the red car, well done, you found it.”
“Look, teddy is beside your bag, will we put teddy inside your bag?”
“I see you are tapping the bowl with the spoon – tap, tap, tap.”
This approach can be applied throughout the early years environment. Creating areas of curiosity and challenge that nurture and develop early numeracy seamlessly.
🫧 During Water or Sand Play
“Is that cup full, empty, or half full?”
“Which bucket holds more?”
“How many scoops to fill the tray?”
“Do you think this container will overflow?”
“Let’s try a smaller cup—how many of these will fill the big one?”
🍎 In the Home Corner or Role Play
“We have three plates but four people—what can we do?”
“How many more do we need?”
“Can you give me two bananas and one apple, please?”
“Who’s first in line at the café?”
“Let’s count how many cups we’ve set on the table.”
🌳 Outdoors or Active Play
“Can you jump five times?”
“How many steps to get from here to the tree?”
“Which hoop is the biggest?”
“How high can we throw the ball?”
“What do we need to build our den?”
“Can we put the tyres in size order? Let’s start with the smallest.”
🎨 In Art
“What colours did you mix to make this colour?”
“What could we add to this colour to make it darker/ lighter?”
“I wonder what you could use to stick them together?”
“Would you like to tell me how you made this/ what were you thinking when?”
“Are the pieces the same size or different?”
📖 During Story Time or Book Sharing
“How many animals are on this page?”
“Who’s first in the line? Who’s last?”
“Where is the bear—on top, under, or behind the box?”
“What do you think will happen if there are two more?”
These prompts work best when they’re responsive—used in the flow of play, not forced. The goal isn’t to quiz, but to model noticing, comparing, and reasoning, so children start doing the same.
