Supporting Parents To Help Children With Maths At Home
Dr. Alistair Bryce-Clegg shares practical strategies to help parents enrich children's mathematical understanding.
When we think of early maths, many of us default to ideas of counting, recognising numbers, and writing them down. While these are important skills, they are just the beginning. Early maths is far richer, encompassing patterns, spatial awareness, problem-solving, measurement, and logical thinking.
Parents often see maths through the lens of their own school experiences, which might have focused on memorisation and abstract tasks. This can mean they miss the wealth of mathematical opportunities in their everyday interactions with their children. Helping parents understand how to support their child’s maths development in simple, playful ways is key.
Introducing "Maths Moments"
The idea of "maths moments" helps parents realise that maths is not just about number recognition, recording and activity books. Maths is everywhere: woven into everyday life. These moments not only build children’s confidence but also help parents feel more capable and involved in their child’s learning – so it’s a win, win!
Helping Parents See Beyond Numbers
The first step is to broaden parents’ understanding of maths by letting them know WHAT the foundational skills that underpin mathematical thinking are and HOW to explore them through play.
Here are some ideas that you can share with parents and carers.
Subitising
Subitising is the ability to recognise small quantities without counting. It’s a key early maths skill and a building block for number sense.
Number Sense
Number Sense is understanding numbers and how they work. It helps children know what numbers mean, compare them, and use them in everyday life.
Notice small groups: Encourage them to point out and talk about small collections of items up to 5 in total, such as three apples or four cars. The focus should be on recognising the amount, not counting each item.
Quick games: Suggest using objects, or pictures in books to ask children how many they see without counting.
Ask questions in real life situations, “How many spoons are on the table?” or “How many birds are on the fence?”
Remember, the key is for the children to see the amount without counting individually
Patterns and Relationships
Spotting and creating patterns helps develop logical reasoning. Encourage parents to:
Look for patterns in nature: Stripes on a zebra, petals on a flower, or the symmetry in leaves are great examples.
Create patterns at home: Using coloured blocks, beads, or even socks to make patterns is fun and meaningful.
Introduce movement patterns: Clap-stamp-clap or jump-twirl-jump are engaging ways to explore patterns physically.
Spatial Awareness
Understanding shapes and spaces forms an essential part of early maths. Guide parents to:
Explore shapes: Ask children to find shapes around the house: “What shapes can you see in the kitchen?”
Use positional language: Encourage words like “in,” “on,” “under,” and “next to” during play.
Build and construct: Activities like stacking blocks, making dens, or building sandcastles provide hands-on spatial reasoning practice.
Measurement and Comparison
Children learn a lot about maths by comparing and measuring the world around them. Suggest to parents:
Compare sizes: Ask, “Which toy is bigger?” or “Can you find something taller than this chair?”
Measure together: Use hands, feet, wool, string or sticks measures to explore length, height, and distance.
Cook together: Talk about measuring ingredients, weighing items, or setting timers.
Problem-Solving and Reasoning
Everyday situations are perfect for developing critical thinking. Encourage parents to:
Ask open-ended questions: For example, “How could we share these apples so everyone has the same?”
Involve children in decisions: Ask, “Do you think this bag will fit in the cupboard?”
Play sorting games: Sorting toys by colour, size, or shape encourages logical thinking.
Everyday Examples of Maths Moments
The School Run
The journey to and from school offers lots of maths opportunities:
Count steps to the school gate or the number of cars on the way.
Spot shapes in road signs or patterns in paving stones.
Use positional language: “The park is next to the shop.”
Cooking in the Kitchen
Preparing food together is rich in maths learning:
Talk about quantities: “How many cups of flour do we need?”
Explore fractions: “Can you cut the sandwich into halves or quarters?”
Compare weights: “Which apple feels heavier?”
Playtime
Children naturally explore maths in their play:
Build towers and talk about height and balance.
Sort toys by size, type, or colour.
Play games like “hide and seek” to practise spatial reasoning.
Shopping
Even a trip to the shops can turn into a maths adventure:
Count items as they go into the basket.
Compare sizes: “Which one is smaller?”
Spot patterns or shapes in packaging.
Supporting Parents to Value Early Maths Skills
Sharing Research
You might want to let parents know why we teach maths in this way – that may not be how they were taught!
Here are some examples of recent research into how children understand and use mathematical concepts:
Studies by Sarama and Clements (2021) show that early activities like block play and puzzles support success in later maths.
Björklund and Aunio (2022) found that pattern recognition and logical reasoning are stronger predictors of later maths achievement than early counting.
The Education Endowment Foundation (2022) emphasises playful, hands-on maths as a way to build children’s confidence and enjoyment.
Practical Support
Practitioners can provide the following:
Workshops and demonstrations: Run sessions to show parents how everyday activities can include maths. For example, using blocks to explore height or organising a maths scavenger hunt.
Simple resources: Share handouts with ideas like “Find two objects that match” or “Which container holds more water?”
Digital tools: Create short videos of maths moments or send weekly challenges, such as spotting patterns or measuring objects at home.
Celebrate Success
Encourage parents to share their maths moments through photos or stories. Celebrate these in newsletters on display boards in your setting or digitally, can help show how small, everyday interactions can make a big difference. Sharing in these ways is also a great way of parents becoming inspired by other parents.
Shifting How We See Maths
Our ultimate goal is to help parents see maths as a joyful, PLAYFUL, integral part of everyday life—not something difficult or boring that is confined to the classroom.
If we can provide parents with the information that helps them to see that maths is about playing, exploring, noticing, and reasoning (and that it doesn’t require expensive resources) they’re more likely to feel confident and engaged in supporting their child’s learning.
By working together, we can lay the foundation for a lifelong love of maths, curiosity, and problem-solving—not just for children but for their families as well.
