Top tips: Maths through routines

Maths is all around us, and day-to-day routines provide wonderful opportunities for children to develop their mathematical thinking naturally. These everyday experiences can help children develop an understanding of number, counting, shape, space, measure, patterns and comparison in ways that are meaningful. See our top tips for making maths part of everyday routines. 

Teaching maths through routines in early years

1. Keep it playful: The best mathematical experiences often happen when children don't realise. Follow their interests, join in with their play and use everyday language to draw attention to the maths they are already exploring 

2. Count as you go: Use everyday routines to practise counting and to make numbers meaningful. Talk about how many children are at the table, how many jumps they can do or how many cars are in the basket 

3. Share out food: At snack time, ask children to help make sure everyone has enough. Encourage children to count, share, compare amounts and notice when something is equal or unequal 

4. Talk about more, less and the same: Use natural opportunities to compare quantities with questions like, “Who has more?” or “Do we have enough cups?”  

5. Talk about time: Help children develop an understanding of the sequence of the day. Use words such as before, after, first, next, later, yesterday and tomorrow. Talk about how long routines take and what happens next 

6. Use positional language: Everyday routines are full of opportunities to talk about where things are such as, “Your bag is under your peg” 

7. Explore shape and space: Notice shapes in the environment and talk about their features, such as their sides, corners, edges and faces. Compare shapes and describe what is the same or different, for example, “This shape has four sides and four corners, just like a square” 

8. Compare and measure: Use children's interests and everyday objects to explore size, length, weight and capacity. “Which basket is heavier?” “Whose sleeves are longer?”, “Will all the water fit in this jug?” 

9. Give children problems to solve: Pause before solving a problem for them, e.g. “We need five cups, there are four here, what could we do?” Allow children time to think, try different ideas and explain their reasoning.

NDNA products to support you with these tips

Maths Champions - FREE Early Years Maths Training

Disclaimer: Activities with children must always be risk assessed, including for allergies or choking. Children must always have adequate supervision. Resources and materials must always be appropriate for children’s age and stage of development.