Teaching Early Mathematical Skills to 3- to 7-Year-Old Children — Differences Related to Mathematical Skill Category, Children’s Age Group and Teachers’ Characteristics

Abstract This study explored teaching early mathematical skills to 3- to 7-year-old children in early childhood education and care (ECEC) and pre-primary education. Teachers in ECEC (N = 206) answered a web survey. The first aim was to determine whether teaching frequency or pedagogical awareness of teaching early mathematical skills varied according to the category of skills (numerical skills, spatial thinking skills and mathematical thinking and reasoning skills) and whether children’s age group moderated these differences. The second aim was to explore to what extent teacher-related characteristics and children’s age group explained variations in teaching frequency concerning early mathe…

Ihmiskäsitys alueellisissa esiopetussuunnitelmissa ihmisihanteen ja lapsikäsityksen kautta tarkasteltuna

The development of Early Mathematical Skills – A Theoretical Framework for a Holistic Model

This article presents a theoretical framework for a holistic model of the development of early mathematical skills in early childhood education. The first aim of this study was to conduct a comprehensive international review of the literature to explore early mathematical skills categories. The literature review yielded three early mathematical skills categories, namely (1) numerical skills, (2) spatial thinking skills and (3) mathematical thinking and reasoning skills. Previous studies have shown that several mathematical skills develop gradually and simultaneously in early ages and that these skills areas are interconnected in mathematical skills learning. Accordingly, the second aim of t…