The dice game

A small group of five year olds are playing a math dice game with the the class teacher. They are using two dice and have to add up their scores. They have a range of mathematical conversations.

Good for looking at

• Maths
• Adult led activity
• Games with rules
• Effective adult support

A small group of five year olds are playing a math dice game with the the class teacher. They are using two dice and have to add up their scores. They have a range of mathematical conversations.

Notice

• What cues can you see that show what the children are interested in? (Look out for non-verbal and body language as well as spoken language)
• 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?
• What is valuable about the materials provided as learning resources?

Reflect

What are your thoughts about:

• What were each of the children interested in?
• How the children are learning?
• The role of the adult in this interaction – how did she support the children?
• The adult led activity – what areas of development did it cover? What is it about the activity that interested the children? Was it suitable for their level of development?

Respond

What would you do to:

• Support the children’s attempts at solving mathematical problems?
• Encourage children to use their maths solving skills in different situations?
• Model problem solving skills for young children and talk through how you might come to a solution?

What next:

• Do you need to encourage more of this kind of play with games with rules with older children in your setting?