Gwaunmeisgyn Primary School
Maths support for parents
Nursery
Dear Parents/Guardians
We have put together this pack outlining the objectives your child is
working towards this year, and the strategies we teach to help them meet
those objectives.
Children in Nursery are introduced to Little Big Maths.
Little Big Maths is a teaching method that makes Maths progress in the
Early Years of the Foundation Phase easy and fun for children and for
teachers. It follows the same basic principles that have made Big Maths
such a huge success across the UK and internationally.
Little Big Maths is a systematic and structured programme for ensuring
that all children develop firm foundations in numeracy, whilst in the
Nursery and Reception classes.
Little Big Maths ensures there is progression within the context of the
child’s play, self-discovery and personal learning journey. By making
maths fun and part of our daily life we will hopefully encourage children to
not only enjoy maths, but also see and understand its relevance, and
eradicate negative attitudes that often exist towards the subject, which
could influence their attitudes too.
We hope you find this useful and as your child moves through the school
you will receive updated versions of this for you to keep up with their
learning.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s
class teacher.
Yours sincerely
Mrs Jan Morgan
Mr Mark O’Brien
Little Big Maths
This framework is known as A-CLIC (Amounts – Counting, Learn Its, It’s
Nothing New and Calculation) and is characterised by accurate steps of
progression (known as Progress Drives) that make new learning easy and
obvious to children. It provides a seamless transition into the Big Maths
programme.
Children are provided with a fun and lively experience as they learn with
jingles, songs, games and the famous Big Maths Characters.
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Counting songs and rhymes that count forward, until children can
read and write numerals to 20.
Small steps ensuring that new learning makes sense.
Uses developing mathematical ideas and methods to solve practical
problems.
Little Big Maths starts with Amounts – amounts are all around us, are
obvious to young children and so form the basis for becoming numerate.
Counting is ongoing all the time whether it be saying numbers, reading
numbers, counting skills or actual counting.
The cross-over from counting to Learn Its is the task of adding one more
to a number, i.e. knowing what number comes next. If a child knows the
answer then it has become a Learn It, whereas if they have to count to
find out what comes next, they are still in the counting phase. Children
are also encouraged to recognise numbers and instantly respond to them
by showing the matching amount of fingers.
It’s Nothing New concentrates on introducing Pim and the Pim Principle
(Principle of Irrelevant Matter) 3 and 4 things always make 7 things, no
matter what the thing is.
Calculations begin to add one more, take one
away, sort groups of objects, find total amount
of objects in each group, begin to share objects
out fairly and count how many each person has.
Little Big Maths – Nursery Overview of Progress Drives
Amounts
Amounts Exist – knowing things
exist, even when out of sight
Amounts Compared – big/small,
long/short, hot/cold, near/ far,
young/old, slow/fast etc.
Amounts are Needed – e.g. asks for
more, not enough, too much, just
right
Counting
Learn Its
It’s Nothing New
Calculation
Amounts Change – bigger/smaller,
hotter/colder, younger/older,
slower/faster etc.
Amount in a group increases/decreases/doesn’t change
Saying Numbers 1-5, 1-10, 1-20
Reading Numbers 1-5, 1-10
Writing Numbers 1-5, 1-10
Counting Skills – when to count,
recognition of last number said as
total in set and 1-1 correspondence
Actual Counting – up to 3 objects,
up to 5 objects, up to 10 objects
Ordering Numbers 1-5
Adding one more to a number i.e.
knowing what number comes next
The Pim Principle (Principle of
Irrelevant Matter) 3 and 4 things
always make 7 things, no matter
what the thing is.
Begin to add one more – I can say
the next number
Begin to take one away – I can say
the number before
Begin to sort groups of objects and
find total amount of objects in each
group
Begin to share objects out fairly and
count how many each person has.