Developing Math Skills in Early Childhood

Developing Math Skills in Early Childhood

Published: Feb 28, 2019
Publisher: Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research
Key Findings
  • The importance of developing early childhood math skills
  • The importance of the home environment in early childhood development
  • The relationship between early math and literacy development
  • A promising approach to enhance early childhood math development that leverages communication between parents and health care providers and the distribution of books during well-child primary care visits
This brief presents a new approach to support the development of early math skills in young children. The approach synthesizes the influence of parents, home environment, and children’s health care providers. The brief draws on research to explain (1) why it is important to support early math development, (2) what early math is (and isn’t), (3) how early math and literacy development intertwine, and (4) the important role parents play in their child’s development. The brief ends with a description of a promising approach to support early childhood math development that leverages communication between parents and health care providers and book sharing during well-child primary care visits.

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