Count and figure it out together
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Counting

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Learning the counting words
Can your child...

  • tell you some of the number names?

  • say numbers in order up to 3, 5, 10, 20, above 20?

  • say what number comes next? (for example, say 'five' when asked 'What comes after four?')

Counting things
Can your child...

  • say one number for each thing?

  • count out five things from a lot of things? (for example, give you five pennies out of a handful?

Using counting
Does your child...

  • use counting to check? (for example, if you give him five pennies in a handful, does he count to make sure?)

Reading and writing numbers

Reading numbers
Can your child...

  • say what numbers are used for (for example, to show how many eggs should be in the box)?

  • say what number you are pointing to?

  • match a written number to a number of objects?

  • choose a number on some cards you have made to match a number of objects?

  • show the right number of fingers when you show him a number

 how many eggs in the box?

 

Beginning to write numbers
Can your child...

  • make the right number of marks to show a number (for example, the score in a game)?

  • write numbers (a five year old may write shakily or back to front at first, learning to write numbers can take until a child is six or seven)?

Talking about numbers

Can your child...

  • spot patterns in saying numbers (for example, carry on after 'twenty-one, twenty-two...,' children often carry on the pattern as 'twenty-nine, twenty-ten' before they learn thirty, forty, fifty)?

  • spot repeating numbers in everyday life, such as on tape measures?

  • say how many things there are without counting, as on dice and playing cards?

  • give a good guess at how many things they can see?

 using tape measures

Adding and subtracting

adding using dice

Can your child...

  • use maths words such as 'more than', 'not as many as', and 'the same as'?

  • talk about how many there are altogether, and how many left?

  • say how many there will be after adding one, two or three objects?

  • say how many there will be after taking away one, two or three objects?

  • say how many more you need to make up a number?

  • count on or back from a number?

  • count pairs, saying 'two, four, six' or 'one, two, three pairs'?

  • share some things fairly between more than two people

What your child thinks about maths

This is very important as many of us ended up not liking maths. This gave us a bad start. The most important thing is for your child to be interested and confident about maths.

  • Is your child interested in numbers?

  • Does your child think she is good at counting?

  • Does he like having a go at puzzles and games and little number problems?

gaining confidense with maths

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