Counting & estimating

A group of three & four year olds have put out pieces of bread to feed the birds. They don't know if the birds have eaten them or not. This leads to them guessing how many are there.

Good for looking at

• Maths
• Counting & estimating
• Effective adult support
• Learning outdoors

 

A group of three & four year olds have put out pieces of bread to feed the birds. They don’t know if the birds have eaten them or not. This leads to them guessing how many are there.

Notice

• How are the children learning? Which areas of development, engagement and characteristics of learning can you observe?
• In what ways does the adult support the children’s learning?
• How does the environment support the children’s learning?
• What is valuable about the materials provided as learning resources?

Reflect

What are your thoughts about:

• How the children are communicating?
• What and how are they learning?
• The role of the adult in this interaction – how did she support the children?
• The value of this real life activity for the children?

Respond

What would you do to:

• Support the children’s attempts at estimating?
• Encourage the children to take risks in their mathematical ideas? Even if they get it wrong
• Develop the children’s interests in estimating large amounts? Could it be made into a game?
• Model behaviours for young children and show how useful they are?

What next:

• Do you need to encourage more of this mathematical thinking in your setting?