Foundation Stage
Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy
Requirements
Children must be supported in developing their understanding of Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy in a broad range of contexts in which they can explore, enjoy, learn, practise and talk about their developing understanding. They must be provided with opportunities to practise and extend their skills in these areas and to gain confidence and competence in their use.
What Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy means for children
Babies’ and children’s mathematical development occurs as they seek patterns, make connections and recognise relationships through finding out about and working with numbers and counting, with sorting and matching and with shape, space and measures. Children use their knowledge and skills in these areas to solve problems, generate new questions and make connections across other areas of Learning and Development.
How settings can effectively implement this area of Learning and Development
To give all children the best opportunities for effective development and learning in Problem-Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy, practitioners should give particular attention to the following areas.
Positive Relationships
Give
children sufficient time, space and encouragement to discover and use new words
and mathematical ideas, concepts and language during child-initiated activities
in their own play.
Encourage children to explore real-life problems, to make patterns and to count and match together, for example, ask, “How many spoons do we need for everyone in this group to have one?”.
Support children who use a means of communication other than spoken English to develop and understand specific mathematical language while valuing knowledge of Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy in the language or communication system that they use at home.
Value children’s own graphic and practical explorations of Problem-Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy.
Enabling Environments
Recognise the mathematical potential of the outdoor environment, for example, for children to discover things about shape, distance and measures, through their physical activity.
Exploit
the mathematical potential of the indoor environment, for example, enabling
children to discover things about numbers, counting and calculating through
practical situations such as finding out how many children are in the music
area or how many story books a child has looked at today.
Ensure that mathematical resources are readily available both indoors and outside.
Learning and Development
Develop mathematical understanding through all children’s early experiences
including through stories, songs, games and imaginative play.
Provide a range of activities, some of which focus on mathematical learning
and some which enable mathematical learning to be drawn out, for example, exploring
shape, size and pattern during block play.
Use mathematical terms during play and daily routines.