Teaching toddlers the meaning of numbers—connecting modes of mathematical representations in book reading

The study investigates which teaching activities are crucial for furthering the understanding of numerical concepts among toddlers (1-3 years), and emphasises the advantages and disadvantages of interactive book reading as an educational tool. The research question is: What conditions must be in place for representation forms to function as learning resources?

The results show that there were several factors important for children to learn about numbers. Although mathematical representations were important in challenging children to expand their numerical understanding, the study indicates that it was crucial for the kindergarten teacher to pay attention to what the child was actually interested in. Another important condition for representation forms to function as learning resources was having a shared learning objective that extended over time.  

The researchers observed the reading sessions three kindergarten teachers had with the children in three Swedish kindergartens. All three used the same picture book about numbers, which was prepared in collaboration between the researchers and kindergarten teachers. The sample consisted of a total of 27 children aged between 12-27 months. The data material was collected using video observation and was then transcribed afterwards. The analysis highlighted how different forms of numerical representation and interactions influenced toddlers’ understanding of the meaning of numbers during the reading session.

Björklund, C., & Palmér, H. (2022). Teaching toddlers the meaning of numbers—connecting modes of mathematical representations in book reading. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 110(3), 525–544.