Why develop numeracy in preschool children?
There is a powerful mechanism present in the learning relationship between a parent and their child that cannot be created in a classroom situation. True, it may be able to be recreated by a non-blood related guardian, older sibling or a grandparent with a close bond to the child, but not by a teacher who has not shared the intimate moments that come with the everyday experiences we share with a child as they do their most complex and sophisticated exploration and learning.
Building your child's maths skills gives them advantages that go beyond numeracy skills. For instance, it has been shown that improvement in numeracy leads to an improvement in literacy, but not necessarily the other way round. It is also believed that music and mathematics complement each other in such a way that understanding and practice of one affects the other.
The great thing is that nothing helps children learn better than playing games, or doing activities with their parents. FUN is the key to pre-school learning (some would argue all learning!).
Building your child's maths skills gives them advantages that go beyond numeracy skills. For instance, it has been shown that improvement in numeracy leads to an improvement in literacy, but not necessarily the other way round. It is also believed that music and mathematics complement each other in such a way that understanding and practice of one affects the other.
The great thing is that nothing helps children learn better than playing games, or doing activities with their parents. FUN is the key to pre-school learning (some would argue all learning!).
What is subitising?
There are two types of subitising, perceptual subitising, where you can instantly recognise the number of objects or items in front of you without counting, and conceptual subitising, which allows you to use recognisable patterns to help you get that same instant recognition without having to count.
If you work at a milk bar and a customer places three chocolate bars on the counter, and you know that these chocolate bars are worth $1 each, you ask the customer for $3 without having to count them to make sure there are three. This is perceptual subitising.
When you see a full regular carton of eggs, you know that there are 12 eggs. Because you've just bought a dozen eggs and a dozen means 12. If there are 2 missing at one end, most of us will simply know that there are 10, without having to count them. The answer will appear in your mind without you being aware that you have calculated the amount of eggs. This is conceptual subitising.
Subitising is a powerful tool that children start to develop from the moment they are born. Research shows that it is the beginning of a process that leads to more difficult and sophisticated mathematical thinking as children get older and are introduced to higher thinking strategies. What it does is allows us to recognise how many objects there are in a small group immediately, saving us the trouble of counting them individually. This leaves the mind free to concentrate on more complex mathematical problems that need to be solved.
"So what?" I hear you ask, doesn't everybody just know how to do that?
To some extent, yes; practically all children develop the skills of subitising simply by engaging with the world around them. However, in the crucial early stages of a child's development, the more exposure they have to a certain skill or task, the more developed it is in later childhood through to adulthood. Learning is made even more powerful by the child not only observing the skill being used, but by doing it practically themselves.
As mentioned before, if children engage in activities with their parents or guardians from an early age, they not only learn how to do the activity, but they develop strategies to improve their abilities themselves, which is the key to successful skill acquisition.
If you work at a milk bar and a customer places three chocolate bars on the counter, and you know that these chocolate bars are worth $1 each, you ask the customer for $3 without having to count them to make sure there are three. This is perceptual subitising.
When you see a full regular carton of eggs, you know that there are 12 eggs. Because you've just bought a dozen eggs and a dozen means 12. If there are 2 missing at one end, most of us will simply know that there are 10, without having to count them. The answer will appear in your mind without you being aware that you have calculated the amount of eggs. This is conceptual subitising.
Subitising is a powerful tool that children start to develop from the moment they are born. Research shows that it is the beginning of a process that leads to more difficult and sophisticated mathematical thinking as children get older and are introduced to higher thinking strategies. What it does is allows us to recognise how many objects there are in a small group immediately, saving us the trouble of counting them individually. This leaves the mind free to concentrate on more complex mathematical problems that need to be solved.
"So what?" I hear you ask, doesn't everybody just know how to do that?
To some extent, yes; practically all children develop the skills of subitising simply by engaging with the world around them. However, in the crucial early stages of a child's development, the more exposure they have to a certain skill or task, the more developed it is in later childhood through to adulthood. Learning is made even more powerful by the child not only observing the skill being used, but by doing it practically themselves.
As mentioned before, if children engage in activities with their parents or guardians from an early age, they not only learn how to do the activity, but they develop strategies to improve their abilities themselves, which is the key to successful skill acquisition.
Why Subitising?
Subitising in itself is useful, and we use it ALL the time. Because it is an automatic activity, we don't normally know that we've done it. The day-to-day, practical use of subitising is a valuable reason alone.
But it gets better.
Subitising is the building block for some really powerful number ideas. Even the most accomplished mathematicians started out as a child with no comprehension of mathematics or numbers. The maths skills that kids need to understand measurement, geometry, algebra, statistics, they all start with foundation numeracy skills, of which subitising is one of the most crucial.
Being able to see how many objects are in front of them allows children to understand how many they have when you take one away. Or add one. That is the beginning of addition and subtraction.
But it gets better.
Subitising is the building block for some really powerful number ideas. Even the most accomplished mathematicians started out as a child with no comprehension of mathematics or numbers. The maths skills that kids need to understand measurement, geometry, algebra, statistics, they all start with foundation numeracy skills, of which subitising is one of the most crucial.
Being able to see how many objects are in front of them allows children to understand how many they have when you take one away. Or add one. That is the beginning of addition and subtraction.
How to facilitate subitising?
A word of advice: it is important to prioritise the development of your relationship over your child's development of number sense. It is great that you are seeking to give your head start in mathematical understanding, appreciation, even enjoyment... but if it is really important that as parents, we combine this opportunity with getting to know each other, and enjoying the important moments of their irreplaceable childhood. If they are starting to get restless and not enjoying the activity then perhaps consider changing activities, or stopping for a moment, OR.... better still... incorporate number sense into activities that you know your child enjoys. If you love cooking together, talk about the number of eggs left in the carton, the teaspoons of sugar you've added, "how many lemons are there on the bench?", "Can you put these three spoons on the table?". You can also give numbers to things as you clean, do gardening, DIY handiwork, arts and crafts, pretty much anything you do with your child.
There are so many things you can do to develop your child's subitising skills without them knowing, and without jeopardising the most important part of a child's development, mummy or daddy time.
Below is a link to some fun subitising-related activities that you play with your child. Remember that the guidelines are based on the average child and that your child may not be at that level yet, OR they may be way ahead. If the activity is too challenging or too easy then adjust the activity to fit.
When the child gets to the 3 years old level, it is recommended to start incorporating games that include both perceptual AND conceptual subitising, because they use different mental processes. Mix it up so that they can exercise both subitising muscles!
There are so many things you can do to develop your child's subitising skills without them knowing, and without jeopardising the most important part of a child's development, mummy or daddy time.
Below is a link to some fun subitising-related activities that you play with your child. Remember that the guidelines are based on the average child and that your child may not be at that level yet, OR they may be way ahead. If the activity is too challenging or too easy then adjust the activity to fit.
When the child gets to the 3 years old level, it is recommended to start incorporating games that include both perceptual AND conceptual subitising, because they use different mental processes. Mix it up so that they can exercise both subitising muscles!