Mathematics Education in Early Childhood

This assignment examines the importance of early childhood mathematics education within the UK's Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework. It emphasizes the significance of developing problem-solving skills and informal mathematical understanding in young children, linking these concepts to everyday life experiences. The document delves into research-based strategies for teaching mathematics to preschoolers, highlighting the role of play-based learning and responsive engagement.

Running head: EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Name of Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Reflective Piece
I am supporting the motion that it is necessary to promote mathematical problem-
solving skills and science among the children in preschools and kindergartens. In order to
support my view, I had gone through and studied thoroughly various articles and portions of
books published on early childhood education. Having gone through the articles, I have learnt
that early childhood education involves various agendas. However, I have also learnt that
mathematical skills and promotion of reasoning and problem-solving skills and scientific
knowledge among children of 3 to 6 years have not received much importance in the early
childhood educational field. Hence, I have spoken for the necessity of the implementation of
programs promoting mathematical reasoning and problem-solving as well as scientific skills
in the early childhood educational curriculum.
I have conducted the research on my topic both individually and along with my team.
I have sat down with my team in group sessions and discussed the various facets of early
childhood education –its history, its importance, its issues, and the steps taken to promote and
improve early childhood educational quality. We have also enquired some people about their
views on early childhood education and its necessity in the social context. We have visited a
few preschools that have effectively introduced mathematical problem-solving skills or
science and a few other preschools in which there are no programs for promoting
mathematical problem-solving or science. We have interviewed the teachers of both the
categories of preschools and compared their views on the importance and benefits of
introducing mathematical reasoning and problem-solving as well as science in the
curriculum. We have also interacted with the children of the preschools of both categories
and analyzed the differences in the intellectual and thinking capabilities between the children
enrolled in preschools with mathematical problem-solving curricular programs and the
children enrolled in preschools with no mathematical problem-solving curricular programs.

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I have reviewed journals and books on the issues in contemporary child education. I
have also studied journals that suggest new ways of introducing mathematical and scientific
education programs into the preschool children’s curriculum. I have also reviewed journals
that promote mathematical and scientific education through play. I have come across articles
that mention the necessity of an appropriate environment with appropriate objects in it to help
students gain interest in science and mathematical problem-solving. I have read journals that
describe and expand the teachers’ role in promoting mathematical problem-solving lessons
among preschool children. Additionally, I have gone through journals that state the effects of
introducing science, mathematical reasoning and problem-solving lessons on children. After
going through a wide range of journals on these aspects and many more, I have summed up
my views that mathematical problem-solving and scientific reasoning is extremely important
for children in their early childhood since it brings them better academic success in the later
years. I have also derived from these articles that mathematical problem solving and scientific
ability among young children helps improve their critical thinking abilities and their abilities
to perceive, conceive, interpret and relate things. I have also based my research on various
post-modern theories on the early childhood learning and its importance. On reviewing such
theories, I have learned the necessity of scientific and mathematical knowledge for academic
success. I have also learned the post-modern perspective on the early childhood studies that
how mathematics and science can increase the cognitive and intellectual skills of the children
along with their tendency and eagerness to be involved scientific experimentation and
mathematical reasoning.
In short, I have conducted a careful study on the topic of early childhood education
along with my team. Below attached are screenshots of some of the journals and document
materials that I have reviewed for the purpose of conducting my research.

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4EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

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Debate Script
Early Childhood Mathematics Education (ECME), has been a crucial segment in the
curriculum of the kindergarten and preschool activities. Froebel, in 1850, had developed a
system of using blocks for educating children in basic mathematics, more precisely stated,
geometry. Again, in the 1900s, Montessori had developed a framework of activities related to
arithmetic for promoting mathematics education among children (Elkind 1973). Over the
years, given to the dominant social conditions, concerns about mathematics education among
young children had faded away. However, with the emergence of the 21stcentury, parents,
teachers and other policy makers have started emphasizing on the need of ECME.
Introduction of mathematics education in the early childhood education program is especially
beneficial to the children as it ensures academic success in the later stages (Cicconi 2014). It
must also be noted that basic mathematics education is an essential factor playing in the
cognitive development of the child and in improving the abilities of critical thinking in a
child.
Preschool and kindergarten children have a natural interest in mathematics. Studies
have shown that in natural and spontaneous surroundings, children often engage in activities
like counting and demonstrate curiosity to know mathematical facts like the largest or the
smallest numbers (Cohrssen, Church and Tayler 2014). Mathematical ideas are also
demonstrated in a child’s play. To state an instance, children while playing block towers
often try to count the number of towers or determine which tower is higher than which one
(Cohrssen et al. 2013). Such observations demonstrate that there is an inherent capability
among children to learn and implement mathematics in their daily lives.
Most teachers in the preschool, educate children in mathematics from within a very
narrow range of mathematical content (Elkind 1973). Their range of imparting mathematical
education to preschool children often extend to the limit of geometrical shapes and counting

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numbers within a very small range. However, studies claim that understanding numbers
include more than just being able to count a few of them. Numerical reasoning and the ability
of coming to certain conclusions regarding a number is also important in the context of
understanding numbers (Brendefuret al. 2013). Similarly, understanding geometrical shapes
requires more than just knowing the name s of the shapes. Children essentially require to be
able to perceive a mathematical problem and respond to it explicitly (Cicconi 2014).In short,
mathematical problem-solving and its education is essential since it can help children to
develop mathematical knowledge beyond their intuitive capacity (Clements and Sarama
2014). This would ensure an organized and powerful scientific development in children.
The classroom at preschools should have provisions for a variety of objects like
blocks, abacus, and puzzles that can be useful in imparting mathematical knowledge to the
children. It is crucial to maintain such a classroom environment in the preschools since
children spend most of their productive hours within it (Elkind 1973. The point is not just
what the classroom atmosphere is capable of making the children feel but what the children
can do within it. Playful activities provide the children with opportunities to explore in a
more engaged and intimate manner (Wood and Attfield 2005). For example, playing blocks
and number games help them engage in fun activities while increasing their mathematical
knowledge. However, such activities are not enough to develop mathematical problem-
solving abilities and for the intellectual development in children. It is so, because, it does not
help the children to develop an effective ability to mathematize, that is, to be able to evaluate
their experiences in association with the mathematical forms and the relation between the
two.
Reasoning and problem-solving are the foundations of mathematics. Teachers must
ensure a calculated use of the various approaches and materials present supporting a child’s
ability and interest in mathematics (Cicconi 2014). In addition to implementing mathematics

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learning through play, learning experiences and classroom routines, programs supporting
early mathematics must be used to attract the attention of children on a particular
mathematical idea(Bredekamp 2016). Teaching children mathematical terms like odd, even,
horizontal, vertical, and others as well as their contexts will help children to associate and
provide understanding to the new-emerging concepts in their minds.
Furthermore, along with mathematics-solving skills it is necessary that the early
childhood studies curriculum include science as well. This is because a child’s experience of
courses related to science enables him or her for critical thinking and encourages the child to
be curious and experiment. It also develops the reasoning skills of the child. Studies claim
that introduction of science as an important subject within the early childhood studies
curriculum helps children to become more efficient in problem solving and can even raise
their Intelligent Quotient (IQ) level. This is because science helps in inculcating within
children logical principles, reasoning methods and enables them to understand the importance
of hypothesis testing (Appleton 2013). Moreover, mathematics and science in the early
childhood, has prolonged associations with continuous achievements in the academic field.
Preschoolers are seen to be exceptionally eager to learn scientific concepts. In the context of
science, children in their early childhood years often show high capacity of observing,
investigating and learning basic knowledge related to science. Many scholars emphasize that
there are eight process skills related to science that every child must learn. These include
observation, describing skills, comparing skills, questioning abilities, prediction,
experimenting abilities, reflecting skills, and cooperating skills (Gerde, Schachter and Wasik
2013). The scholars claim that it is important for each child to be familiar with these
scientific skills before they enter in a school to ensure academic success.
There are certain countries that have formed their own frameworks regarding the
implementation of science and mathematics skills in the early childhood academics. One of

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them that requires special mention is the Ohio state. Ohio has implemented mathematics and
science skills in their early childhood curriculum and that shows high standards in the
learning process. The early childhood mathematical standards are demonstrated by the
incorporation of programs that include numbers, sense of numbers and their operations, sense
of geometry and space, measurement, algebra and reasoning in patterns, as well as data
analysis. The high early learning standards related to science can be seen in the state’s
implementation of science related areas like life science, space and earth science, and
physical science. Along with these scientific standards it is also seen that preschoolers have
developed a sense of curiosity and experimentation in the matters related to science while
demonstrating strong critical thinking skills (Piasta, Pelatti and Miller 2014). Such high
reasoning and cognitive standards are also seen among the preschoolers of Singapore (Wong
et al. 2014). This is because the education department of Singapore has also implemented
mathematics and science in their early childhood learning curriculum. However, many states
in the United States, barring a few like Ohio, have not included mathematics and science in
their early learning curriculum (Weiland and Yoshikawa 2013). This has lowered the rates of
mathematics achievement and critical thinking abilities among most American students. The
lack of scientific and mathematical knowledge from an early childhood have made the
students unable to grasp basic logical problems and decreased their experimenting and
reasoning abilities. Moreover, this has led to the lowered standards of academic success in
America.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework for the United Kingdom
emphasizes on seven areas for educational development and learning. All the areas are crucial
to the development of the child and are interconnected. The EYFS of UK mentions the
importance of educating children in mathematics and science along with the knowledge in
other areas like physical development, language and literacy, personal, emotional and social

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development, knowledge of the world, and expressive abilities in arts and design. The EYFS
of UK mentions that mathematics and science helps in developing in children skills related to
counting, calculating, using and understanding numbers, and to recognize and comprehend
shapes and other scientific phenomenon. The UK EYFS mentions that a child should be
under quality guidance and that the key person to help a child develop educational skills
should be a person who can efficiently engage with the child emotionally and personally such
as the parents or the teachers. The EYFS of UK states certain early learning goals in every
areas of learning. In developing communicative language skills the EYFS mentions that the
goal is to ensure that the children are able to listen and respond efficiently to what they hear
or see. Moreover, the children are required to understand and develop curiosity in matters
related to science or any other subject as well. In the field of mathematics, the learning goals
of the UK EYFS are to ensure that the children are able to count numbers confidently
between 1 to 20 (Dubiel 2014). It also ensures that the children possess knowledge on the
largest and smallest numbers and the relations between them. Furthermore, the goal is to
ensure that they are able to efficiently carry out basic mathematical operations like addition
and subtraction on single digit numbers. The EYFS of UK aims at developing mathematical
problem solving skills among children. It also aims at ensuring that the children appropriate
knowledge of shapes and sizes and of comparing objects and quantities to solve the basic
problems related to such. The UK EYFS framework also ensures that the children are able to
critically identify, describe and create patterns. However, although the UK EYFS framework
places much importance to development and inclusion of mathematical problem-solving
skills in the early learning curriculum, it does not mention much of the importance of
introducing the development of scientific knowledge and skills in the framework for the
EYFS of UK.

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In conclusion, mathematics is an important aspect of everyday life and must not left
for the later years of development. In addressing and implementing problem-solving
mathematical education in their early childhood, teachers help build a child’s informal
knowledge on mathematics and helps them associate it with their daily lives developing and
enhancing their cognitive and intellectual abilities.

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References
Appleton, K. ed., 2013. Elementary science teacher education: International perspectives on
contemporary issues and practice. Routledge.
Bredekamp, S., 2016. Effective practices in early childhood education: Building a
foundation. Boston: Pearson.
Brendefur, J., Strother, S., Thiede, K., Lane, C. and Surges-Prokop, M.J., 2013. A
professional development program to improve math skills among preschool children in head
start. Early Childhood Education Journal, 41(3), pp.187-195.
Cicconi, M., 2014. Vygotsky meets technology: A reinvention of collaboration in the early
childhood mathematics classroom. Early Childhood Education Journal, 42(1), pp.57-65.
Clements, D.H. and Sarama, J., 2014. Learning and teaching early math: The learning
trajectories approach. Routledge.
Cohrssen, C., Church, A. and Tayler, C., 2014. Pausing for learning: Responsive engagement
in mathematics activities in early childhood settings. Australasian Journal of Early
Childhood, 39(4), p.95.
Cohrssen, C., Church, A., Ishimine, K. and Tayler, C., 2013. Playing with maths: Facilitating
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Gerde, H.K., Schachter, R.E. and Wasik, B.A., 2013. Using the scientific method to guide
learning: An integrated approach to early childhood curriculum. Early Childhood Education
Journal, 41(5), pp.315-323.

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Piasta, S.B., Pelatti, C.Y. and Miller, H.L., 2014. Mathematics and science learning
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