By the time children start school, there are already substantial differences in numeracy skills among individuals and bridging that knowledge gap can be difficult, according to experts.
The Early Start initiative by the University of Wollongong is conducting research about improving numeracy skills in children. The Family, Learning and Interaction research theme is leading the project, ‘It all counts: Talking about numeracy at home’.
According to Early Start, the research aims is “… to better understand the range of ways parents/carers and children can or might talk about concepts like counting, size and shape comparisons, distance, time, and patterns, during play, book-reading, and everyday activities in the home”.
“We know a lot about how we teach children to read but we also know that numeracy skills are just as important,” project supervisor Associate Professor Jane Herbert said.