Mathematics is an essential part of early learning and everyday life. At our nursery, we introduce mathematical concepts in a way that is playful, meaningful, and rooted in real experiences. Children naturally encounter mathematics all around them—when comparing quantities, building with blocks, exploring shapes, sharing food, or noticing patterns in the world. Our role is to nurture this innate curiosity and support children in developing a positive, confident attitude towards numbers, problem-solving, and mathematical thinking.
We believe that early maths should be hands-on, enjoyable, and connected to children’s interests. Through practical activities, exploration, and high-quality interactions, we help children build strong foundations that will support them as they progress through their education.
Our environment is designed to inspire mathematical exploration at every turn. Resources are accessible, clearly labelled, and available in both indoor and outdoor areas so children can engage with maths naturally throughout their play.
Examples include:
Counting objects such as pebbles, blocks, and beads
Sorting materials by colour, size, or shape
Measuring tools like tape measures, scales, and containers
Shape puzzles, construction sets, and pattern blocks
Number lines, dice, and numeral cards
Loose parts that encourage creative problem-solving
By integrating maths into all areas of the environment, children encounter mathematical concepts in ways that feel engaging, practical, and relevant.
Number sense—the understanding of numbers and how they work—is central to early mathematics. We support children in developing strong, intuitive number sense through activities that encourage counting, recognising numerals, comparing quantities, and understanding basic addition and subtraction.
Our approach includes:
Children count during everyday routines, such as lining up for outdoor play, counting how many cups they need at snack time, or setting places at the table. These real-life experiences make numbers meaningful and help children understand that counting has a purpose.
We introduce numerals through play-based activities such as number hunts, puzzles, matching games, and sensory trays. By seeing and using numbers in context, children begin to recognise them with confidence.
Through simple activities like placing one object in each section of a tray or giving out one sticker to each friend, children learn that numbers represent specific quantities.
We explore these concepts using practical resources: combining groups of objects, taking some away, or comparing sets. These hands-on experiences build deep understanding long before children encounter formal maths.
Mathematics is much more than numbers. Shape, space, and measure help children make sense of the physical world and develop key reasoning skills.
Children handle, build with, and sort shapes daily. They learn to recognise familiar shapes—circles, squares, triangles—and begin to explore their properties. Activities might include:
Building with blocks
Completing shape puzzles
Making pictures with 2D shapes
Exploring 3D shapes in construction areas
Spotting shapes in the environment
As they explore, children begin to use mathematical vocabulary such as long, short, curved, straight, corner, side, tall, and flat.
Through climbing, building dens, navigating obstacle courses, and arranging objects, children develop understanding of concepts like behind, under, next to, in front of, between, and around. These skills support later mathematical learning as well as physical development.
Children are encouraged to measure length, height, weight, capacity, and time through everyday experiences. They might:
Weigh ingredients during cooking
Compare the height of towers
Measure the length of ribbons
Explore how many cups of water fill a jug
Observe how long a sand timer takes to empty
These practical tasks help children understand early measurement concepts in a real, relevant context.
Patterns are a key part of early mathematics, helping children develop reasoning, prediction, and sequencing skills.
We explore patterns through:
Sorting activities
Making bead strings
Printing repeating patterns
Spotting patterns in nature
Songs and rhymes with repeated sequences
Movement patterns such as clap–stamp–clap
As children become more confident, they begin creating their own patterns and identifying what comes next, forming early algebraic understanding.
Language plays a vital role in mathematical development. Our practitioners model and encourage the use of mathematical vocabulary throughout the day, such as:
More, fewer, equal
Big, bigger, biggest
Heavy, light, full, empty
First, next, last
Tall, short, wide, narrow
We ask open-ended questions like:
How do you know?
What do you notice?
Is there another way to do it?
Which has more?
These questions help children think critically, explain their ideas, and develop reasoning skills essential for later mathematical learning.