Early Maths at Home: Numbers, Shapes and First Sums for Ages 2 to 7

Maths at home doesn't mean worksheets. It means counting the stairs, sharing a snack fairly and playing a board game on a rainy afternoon. Done like that, it's some of the most useful play you can give a young child. This guide covers what to focus on at each age, and the games that help most.

Why it's worth starting early

A large study that combined six long-term studies found that maths skills when children start school were one of the strongest predictors of how well they did later on. That's a link, not a guarantee, but it's a good reason to make numbers a normal part of play from the start. The UK's Education Endowment Foundation recommends that 3 to 7 year olds learn maths through games, stories and everyday life.

Count properly

Most toddlers can recite "one, two, three…" long before they can count. Real counting has three parts:

• One number for each thing. Touch each toy as you say a number, and move it to one side.
• The last number says how many. After counting five cars, ask "So how many cars are there?" The answer is five, not "one, two, three, four, five".
• Any order works. Count the same cars starting from a different one. Still five.

Our guide How toddlers learn to count goes deeper into this stage.

See amounts at a glance

Before they count, children can learn to see small amounts instantly: two eyes, three dots on a die, four fingers. This skill is a strong base for adding later.

• Flash fingers. Hold up some fingers for a second and ask how many.
• Dice dots. Play with dice before numbers: "How many dots? Don't count!"
• Five and ten. Show five as one full hand, ten as two.

Play board games

The Education Endowment Foundation notes that games with numbered tracks, like snakes and ladders, may especially help children understand how numbers grow. Counting the spaces as you move, and noticing that 8 is further than 5, builds a mental "number line".

Shapes and patterns

• Shape hunts. Find circles, squares and triangles around the house: plates, windows, sandwiches cut in half.
• What comes next? Make a pattern with blocks or snacks: red, blue, red, blue… and ask what comes next.

First sums with real things

Start with things your child can touch. "You have three grapes. I'll give you two more. How many now?" Then take some away. Write the numbers only once the idea is clear. Stories work too: "Three ducks were swimming, and one swam away…"

By age

• 2 to 3: counting songs, counting stairs and snacks, "one, two, three, go!", big and small.
• 4 to 5: counting objects accurately, numbers to 20, dice, simple board games, shapes everywhere.
• 6 to 7: adding and taking away with real things, then with numbers; patterns; little word problems.

To practise, try Counting Critters for younger children or Math Ninja for older ones.