The Teaching of Numbers in Common Preschool Activities: A Delicate Balancing Act

The study is a combined research and development project conducted in collaboration between researchers and kindergarten teachers in three Swedish kindergartens. The goal is to investigate whether kindergarten activities can be the start of a type of mathematics teaching where toddlers are given the opportunity to distinguish different aspects of numbers. The research question is: Which functions are essential in kindergarten activities where young children are given the opportunity to distinguish critical aspects of numbers?

Through empirical examples, the researchers show how small changes in an activity can provide opportunities for toddlers to distinguish different, critical aspects of numbers without losing sight of the activity’s original intention. Principles for developing early mathematics teaching to achieve this balance are outlined and elaborated.

The analysis is based on observation of 121 video recordings (a total of 7 hours and 50 min, average length 5 min and 7 sec) of singing and play involving the kindergarten song ‘the balancing elephant song’ with 27 children and three kindergarten teachers in three Swedish kindergartens over a period of three semesters. At the start of the study, the 27 participating children were between 12 and 27 months old.

Palmér, H., & Björklund, C. (2023). The Teaching of Numbers in Common Preschool Activities: A Delicate Balancing Act. Early Childhood Education Journal, 51(5), 971–980.

Online year: 2022

Issue year: 2023

Review year: 2022