Words matter – even young toddlers sense how important language is.
Mastering first words and then sentences opens up the world to them.
Young children will make great efforts to acquire and use language,
generally with enthusiastic support from their parents.
But numbers? Is it really necessary for toddlers to learn about them so early?
If we think that numbers are something that can wait until children are older,
we need to think again.
For one thing, toddlers know much more about numbers than we may realize.
Young children already grasp the concept of quantities.
For example, it doesn’t take them long to figure out
whether they or their playmates have more marbles.
But toddlers also know less about numbers than we may think.
When they first begin to count from one to ten,
they are simply reciting words.
That doesn’t mean they know that the purpose of counting
is to determine the total number of items in a set.
So a young child may be able to count to ten.
But when you ask the same child to give you ten marbles,
this might be an impossible task.
We are not born knowing what ten means;
that’s something we learn over time.
So when we watch two toddlers figuring out who has more marbles,
we are seeing the development of what researchers call
early numerical skills.
These skills influence the development of many other cognitive skills,
and affect a child’s chances of doing well in math later on.
Math skills, in turn, correlate with the likelihood of earning a university degree,
landing a good job,
and ultimately leading a healthy and happy life.
It’s crucial for children to develop a positive relationship with numbers early on.
At first this relationship tends to be relaxed and playful.
But before long children are exposed to some common attitudes and misconceptions about math,
for example when older siblings complain about difficult math homework,
or relatives bring up the cliché that girls love books
while boys do well in math class, or a teacher suggests that only
“really smart” children are good at math.
Research clearly contradicts the misconceptions that are implicit in these statements.
Boys and girls are similar in their math performance,
and it doesn’t take a genius to be good at math and to think mathematically.
However, messages containing gender and other stereotypes
can have a negative effect on a child’s relationship with numbers
Girls in particular tend to internalize these stereotypes
and, as a result, become less motivated to explore the world of numbers.
And fear – what we call math anxiety – may prevent children from engaging in math class
and even affect math performance by occupying some of a child’s brain power,
making it unavailable for solving the problems in an exam.
It’s important, however, to note that math anxiety and difficulty with math
don’t necessarily go together.
Studies have shown that children who are quite competent at math
can have very high levels of math anxiety, and vice versa.
Unhealthy perceptions of one’s own abilities – like thinking that you are bad at math
– can also have a direct effect on a child’s interests, hobbies and later career choices.
As we have seen, difficulties with numbers and math are often socially learned.
Yet some children struggle with math for reasons that have nothing to do with their parents,
teachers, or peers.
These children have what is called “developmental dyscalculia”
and need a lot of extra support.
For many others, though, what might look like a “difficulty” with numbers and math
simply reflects the fact that they have not been given enough playful opportunities
to enhance their knowledge and understanding.
This is why it’s so important for children to embrace numbers at an early age.
Numbers will help them navigate the world.
If you want to promote your toddler’s early numeracy skills in a playful way, you might try the following:
Name the number of objects in a group when counting – “1-2-3-4-5.
There are FIVE building blocks.“
Practice comparing quantities when playing card games that use numbers, such as Go Fish
- “Look, there are four fish on this card
and ten fish on this one – which card has more?”
Help children understand numerical relations when playing board games such as Chutes and Ladders
–„You’re on the fourth square and roll a five – so what is four plus five?“
Use numbers to solve everyday problems – “Grandma is coming over for dinner.
How many plates do we need?”
Finally, it’s important to be patient:
Children learn key numerical concepts at different rates,
and they require differing amounts of support.
The most important thing is to show a positive attitude towards math and keep it fun!