Birth - Age 3 Math

Mathematical learning in the early years relies on children's opportunities to describe and explore the relationship of objects and materials. Children's knowledge and understanding of mathematics is built through active manipulation where children use their senses to build concept knowledge in the areas of numbers and operations, patterns, algebra, geometry, measurement, and comparison.

Caregivers can facilitate mathematical learning when they encourage children to problem solve, reason, communicate, connect and represent. When engaged in manipulative mathematical activities, children better understand the world around them and begin to use number concepts to communicate their own thoughts and ideas, which means they are beginning to think and reason.

WHAT TO EXPECT MATHEMATICALLY FROM YOUR INFANT?

Children at this age...

• Have the ability to respond and engage in reciprocal interactions.
• Show an increasing ability to play an active part in the day-to-day activities of the program.
• Begin to develop strategies for exploring and satisfying their curiosity.
• Increase control over their bodies, including increasing abilities in the use of large and small muscles, balance and coordination of eye-hand movements, and increasing agility, coordination, and balance.
• Can start to judge the distance toward another object and will adjust their reach to grab that object. 
• Begin to develop motor skills such as lifting the head, rolling over, sitting-up, crawling, and walking.
• Will try strategies repetitively to better understand and to help build memory.

WHAT TO EXPECT MATHEMATICALLY FROM YOUR TODDLER?

Children at this age...

• Begin to imitate rote counting (counting aloud from memory) using some sort of names for numbers.
• Participate in activities that have cause and effect.
• Display strategies for actively exploring and making sense of the world by using their bodies, including active exploration with all the senses and the use of tools, materials, and equipment to extend skills.
• Show skills and confidence with tools that create art (e.g. crayons, paint, blocks, musical instruments, and body movements).
• Show awareness that music, art, drama, and dance can be expressions of feeling, mood, situation, and culture.