Maths

The Early Learning Goal for Number at the end of the Reception year:

ELG: Number

Children at the expected level of development will:

• Have a deep understanding of number to 10, including the composition of each number;
• Subitise (recognise quantities without counting) up to 5;
• Automatically recall (without reference to rhymes, counting or other aids) number bonds up to 5 (including subtraction facts) and some number bonds to 10, including double facts.

ELG: Numerical Patterns

Children at the expected level of development will:

• Verbally count beyond 20, recognising the pattern of the counting system;
• Compare quantities up to 10 in different contexts, recognising when one quantity is greater than, less than or the same as the other quantity;
• Explore and represent patterns within numbers up to 10, including evens and odds, double facts and how quantities can be distributed equally.

Ideas for helping with Early Number

Recognising Numbers

Choose a number for the week, e.x. 2. Encourage your child to look out for this number all the time. Can your child see the number 2 anywhere? At home - in the kitchen or on pages in a book in the street - on doors, on car number plates or on buses while out shopping - on the shop till, on shelves, in shop windows

Patterns and Games with numbers

Find two apples, toys, spoons, straws, sweets, etc. Make patterns, such as two knives, two forks, two spoons, two knives, two forks, two spoons… Practise writing the number 2.

Counting

Try starting at 5 and count on from there to 11. Start at 9 and count back from there to zero.  Choose a different starting number each time. Count using numbers to 10, 20 and then beyond to 100.

The Early Learning Goal for Shape, Space & Measure at the end of the Reception year:

Children use everyday language to talk about size, weight, capacity, position, distance, time and money to compare quantities and objects and to solve problems. They recognise, create and describe patterns. They explore characteristics of everyday objects and shapes and use mathematical language to describe them.

Ideas for helping with Early Shape, Space and Measure

While you have all the items out of the cupboard— what shapes can you find? Open up the packets—can you see a square and rectangle? What about other shapes? Count the corners and sides—remember the names of the shapes and the number of corners and sides they have!    

Ask your child to help you sort a food cupboard out, putting heavier items on the lower shelf and lighter items on an upper shelf. What about height—can you also sort the items according to height? Are the heaviest items always the tallest?