How We Weave Maths Into Our Everyday
“I hate maths!”
That is often the response I get when I tell people that maths is one of the areas of learning I am particularly passionate about.
But here’s the thing – children are probably doing far more maths every day than they realise!
I’m Sam Goldsworthy, a childminder in Cornwall, and I love outdoor learning, particularly learning through nature. I also have a real passion for helping children develop their mathematical thinking through everyday experiences.
For me, maths isn’t about sitting children down with a worksheet or asking them to complete a page of sums. It is about noticing the opportunities that are already happening naturally throughout our day and helping children to recognise, explore and talk about the mathematics all around them.
So, let me take you through a typical day and show you just how much maths we weave into our everyday experiences.
Starting the day – Our self registration
Our day begins as the children arrive at the setting.
Each child has their own little peg doll, which they place into our self-registration house.
And yes… that’s maths!
As children fit their peg doll into the house, they are developing their spatial reasoning and thinking about shape, size and position.
As the children become more confident, we also hear mathematical language developing naturally.
“Sam, my peg is next to yours!”
Suddenly, we are talking about positional language – next to, behind, in front of, above and below – without needing to formally teach a maths lesson.
The children are simply using maths because it is meaningful to them.
Our Story Vote
Next, we head over to our story vote station
The children choose the story they would like to listen to at snack time by placing a token into the pot for their chosen book.
At first glance, this might just look like a fun way to choose a story. But there is so much maths happening!
At story time, we count the tokens together and add a number card to each pot. We look at which story has the most votes, which has the fewest and whether any have the same number.
This gives us opportunities to explore:
• Counting
• Number recognition
• Subitising
• Comparing quantities
• More and fewer
• The same as
• Ordering numbers
• One-to-one correspondence
The children are genuinely interested because the maths has a purpose. They want to know which story has won!
Self-service snack – maths we can eat!
Snack time provides another wonderful opportunity for children to use maths independently.
We have a self-service snack, allowing the children to make choices and serve themselves.
How many pieces of fruit would you like?
How many children are having snack?
Do we have enough cups?
How many plates do we need?
Is there more banana than apple?
What happens if we cut something in half?
These everyday decisions provide meaningful opportunities to develop counting, quantity, comparison, sharing, estimating and problem-solving.
Children are also developing an understanding of proportion and fairness as they decide how much they need and think about making sure there is enough for everyone.
There is something really powerful about allowing children to physically handle the food, make choices and solve these little mathematical problems for themselves.
Baking – maths you can taste!
Baking is another favourite way of weaving maths into our day.
There are so many mathematical opportunities when we bake together.
We weigh and measure ingredients, count eggs, compare quantities and talk about capacity.
‘Is the flour heavier or lighter than the sugar?’
‘How many spoonfuls do we need?’
‘Will this container hold all the mixture?’
‘Can we share the mixture equally?’
‘What happens when we double the recipe?’
We also explore time as we wait for our baking to cook.
“How long has it been in the oven?”
“How many minutes until it’s ready?”
“Do you think it needs longer?”
There are opportunities to explore shape and size too – particularly when we roll, cut and decorate our creations.
Baking allows children to see that numbers and measurement have a real purpose. They aren’t simply learning to recognise a number; they are using mathematics to create something they can enjoy.
And, of course, eating the finished product is an important part of the mathematical investigation!
Gardening – growing our mathematical thinking
Our love of outdoor learning naturally takes us into the garden, where maths is everywhere.
Gardening gives children opportunities to explore counting, measuring, comparing, pattern, shape, position, capacity and change over time.
We might count how many seeds we have, decide how many seeds to put into each pot or compare the sizes of the plants as they grow.
“Which plant is tallest?”
“How many leaves can you see?”
“Has this one grown more than yesterday?”
We might measure the height of our plants or use non-standard measurements such as cubes, sticks or our hands.
Watering the garden gives us opportunities to explore capacity.
“Which watering can holds the most?”
“How many cups of water will fill the pot?”
“Is it full or empty?”
We also begin to develop an understanding of time and sequence as we observe our plants changing.
First we plant the seed.
Then we water it.
Next we wait.
Then we notice the shoot appearing.
Eventually, we have a plant!
Gardening is a wonderful reminder that mathematics isn’t always about getting an immediate answer. Sometimes it is about observing, predicting, waiting and noticing change.
Maths outdoors
Being in Cornwall gives us endless opportunities t take our maths learning outdoors.
Nature is full of mathematics.
We might count stones, compare sticks, look for patterns in leaves, sort natural objects by size or colour, measure how far we can jump or investigate shapes we can see around us.
Outdoor learning provides children with real experiences that they can touch, move, compare, build and investigate.
A collection of sticks can become a measuring activity.
A pile of shells can become a counting game.
A muddy puddle can lead to conversations about capacity.
A walk can become an opportunity to spot shapes, patterns and numbers in the environment.
Everyday maths
One of the things I love most about maths is that it doesn’t need to be separated from the rest of our day.
It is there when we bake and measure ingredients.
It is there when we serve ourselves snack and think about how much we need.
It is there when we garden and watch our plants grow.
It is there when we tidy up and sort objects.
It is there when we build towers and compare their heights.
It is there when we talk about time and what we are doing next.
It is there when we set the table and work out how many plates, cups or pieces of cutlery we need.
It is there when we walk, climb, jump, balance and move.
Maths is everywhere
Changing the way we think about maths
I think sometimes we can put maths into a little box and think that it means numbers, sums and worksheets.
But early mathematical development is so much more than that.
It is about developing children’s curiosity, reasoning, problem-solving and ability to make connections.
It is about giving children opportunities to notice, wonder, predict, compare, count, estimate and explain.
And it is about giving children the confidence to have a go.
When a child says, “My tower is taller than yours,” they are doing maths.
When they say, “I need one more,” they are doing maths.
When they notice that their peg is next to mine, they are doing maths.
When they decide that one story has more votes than another, they are doing maths.
When they work out how many cups are needed at snack time, they are doing maths.
When they measure the ingredients for a cake or count the seeds they are planting, they are doing maths.
These small moments are incredibly valuable.
Making maths meaningful
For me, the key is making mathematics meaningful, playful and part of everyday life.
We don’t always need to stop what we’re doing and announce, “Now we’re going to do some maths!”
Instead, we can notice the mathematics that is already there and use it as an opportunity to extend children’s thinking.
A simple question can make all the difference:
“How do you know?”
“What do you notice?”
“What do you think will happen?”
“Can you find another one?”
“I wonder if we could do that another way?”
These conversations help children become confident mathematical thinkers.So, if you think you don’t like maths, perhaps take another look.
You might just discover that you are already doing it every day – in the garden, in the kitchen, outdoors, at snack time and even while choosing a story.
Maths really is everywhere. We love discovering it together and ensuring the children grow up with a passion and confidence in maths
2 responses to “A day in the life of Sam Goldsworthy Childminding”
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Great blog Sam! It’s wonderful to read how you incorporate Maths in your setting ☺️
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You had me at math you can eat. So much learning happening day to day. Shows how much thought you put into each area of your provision Sam.
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