In the Early Years Foundation Stage, Mathematics is broken down into two aspects:
Mathematics is all about understanding and using shape, space, measures and numbers to solve everyday problems like how much sticky tape to use to wrap a parcel or the number of red balloons that would need to be bought so that there were enough for all the children attending a party. Helping children to enjoy Mathematics is probably one of the most important things that adults can do so that children realise that mathematics is a way of finding things out and solving problems. When something has real meaning for a child they will learn about it.
Enjoy stories and rhymes with your child that has a mathematical element, e.g. “One-two, Buckle my Shoe”. Using rhymes can also help develop your Childs awareness of sequencing. Let your child count out items in the books – how many animals are on the page, how many items are blue?