Teaching the Language of Math to Preschoolers: WSHA 2016
Patricia A. Becker, PhD, CCC-SLP
Rationale
 Mathematical concepts are critical to language development, academic achievement, and
the performance of daily tasks and routines
Research
 Children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI), children from low SES families, and
children who are English Language Learners may experience difficulty with early
mathematical learning that persists into their school years (Alt, Arizmendi, & Beal, 2014;
Donlon, Newton, & Lloyd, 2005; Morgan, Farkas, & Wu, 2011; Schroder, 2015)
 Children with SLI are confronted with barriers while learning math that include
difficulties in (1) linguistic skills, (2) phonological information processing and (3)
interactive discourse (Schröder, 2015)
 Achievement gaps in math for children with SLI increase between kindergarten and fifth
grade (Morgan, Farkas, & Wu, 2011)
 Children with SLI have difficulty with the manipulation of mathematic symbols, the use
of working memory for patterns, and the combination of complex linguistic syntax plus
mathematical symbols (Alt, Arizmendi, & Beal, 2014)
 Intensive preschool math curricula can increase children’s ability to: (1) recall key words,
(2) use complex utterances, (3) retell narratives independently, and (4) perform inferential
reasoning tasks (Sarama, Lange, Clements, & Wolfe, 2012)
 Preschool children’s math development is positively associated with the amount of
teacher-managed language and literacy activities in the classroom (de Haan, Elbers, &
Leseman, 2014)
Recommendations
 Teach number, operations, geometry, patterns, measurement, and data analysis using a
developmental progression (see milestone handout)
 Teach children to view and describe their world mathematically
 Integrate math instruction throughout the school day (Frye, Baroody, Burchinal, Carver,
Jordan, & McDowell, 2013)
Math-Focused Interactions: Play
 Dramatic play: menus, money, receipts, calculators, address labels, phones, clocks,
timers, graph paper, tape measures, maps, tickets, cash registers, scales, and measuring
cups
 Card and board games
 Centers: Blocks, Sand and Water,
 Art, Science, Manipulatives
 Outdoor play
Math-Focused Interactions: Discourse
 Recognize importance of language as a tool for teaching math
 Plan experiences that connect math to prior knowledge
 Engage children in dialogue about activity-related math concepts
 Support increasingly difficult levels of math thinking and reasoning (Rudd, Satterwhite,
& Lambert, 2010)
Math-Focused Interactions: Discourse (see Rudd, Satterwhite & Lambert, 2010 handout)
Number
Operations
Spatial Relations
Seriation
Measurement
Patterns
Geometry
Display and Analyze Data
Math-Focused Interactions: Book-Sharing
 Practice math skills
 Develop math reasoning
 Solve math problems
 Express mathematical thinking
 Stimulate interest in math (HHS/ACF/ACYF/OHS, 2008)
Math-Focused Interactions: Music
 Finger plays
 Musical instruments
o One-to-one correspondence (pat, tap, walk to beat)
o Seriation (represent musical patterns through movement; sequence sounds from
soft to loud; identify word patterns in lyrics)
o Time (respond to sounds that start/stop; create sounds that are fast/slow) (Geist,
Geist, & Kuznik, 2012; Sawyers & Hutson-Brandhagen, 2004)
 Songs
A square is like a box, A square is like a box,
It has four sides, They are the same.
A square is like a box!
A triangle has 3 sides, A triangle has 3 sides,
Up the mountain, down, and back.
A triangle has 3 sides! (Retrieved from
http://www.preschoollearningonline.com/preschool-songs/shapes-songs-forkids.html)
Math-Focused Interactions: Cooking and Restaurant play
 Counting, one-to-one correspondence, cardinality, size, shape, weight, length, volume
(Vandermaas-Peeler, Boomgarden, Finn & Pittard, 2012)
 Seriation Child: “That’s how you put cheese lettuce cheese lettuce cheese.”(Becker,
2015)
 Money Adult: What do I owe you for the sandwich? Child: Ten dollars. (Becker, 2015)
Math-Focused Interactions: Technology
 Online games
o Sheppard Software Early Math
o PBS Kids Math Games
 iPad apps
o Heavy or Light (DonkeySoft Inc.)
o Candy Count (Camigo Media LLC)
o More or Less (TinyTap Ltd)
o Sleepy Cat Prepositions (TinyTap Ltd)
Resources
 PBS Parents Math Skills and Milestones
 Raising Readers in Story County Exploring Early Math Concepts Through Books Infant,
Toddler and Preschooler Activity Handouts
 File Folder Fun Preschool Math Games
 PreKinders Play Dough Math Mats
 Teaching Mama Hands-On Math Activities
 The Measured Mom Finger Puppet Printables
 Math at Play Picture Book Lists
 Math at Play Games, Tips and Activities
 Little Bins for Little Hands 20 Best Preschool and Kindergarten Board Games
 A Mom with a Lesson Plan Teaching Math and Reading through Cooking
 KBYU Eleven Math is Everywhere Participation Notebook
References
Alt, M., Arizmendi, G.D., & Beal, C. (2014). The relationship between mathematics and l
anguage: Academic implications for children with Specific Language Impairment and
English Language Learners. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in the Schools,
45(3), 220-233.
Becker, P. (2015). Using peer- and adult-mediated sociodramatic play to assess and facilitate
preschoolers' play, play discourse and narrative: A mixed methods study (Doctoral
Dissertation).
de Haan, Elbers & Leseman (2014). Teacher- and child-managed academic activities in
preschool and kindergarten and their influence on children’s gains in emergent academic
skills. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 28: 43–58.
Cowan, R., Donlon, C., Newton, E.J., and Lloyd, D. (2005). Number skills and knowledge in
children with Specific Language Impairment. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97(4),
732–744
Donlan, C., Cowan, R., Newton, E.J. and Llloyd, D. (2007). The role of language in
mathematical development: Evidence from children with specific language impairments.
Cognition, 103, 23-33.
Frye, D., Baroody, A. J., Burchinal, M., Carver, S. M., Jordan, N. C., & McDowell, J. (2013).
Teaching math to young children: A practice guide (NCEE 2014-4005). Washington, DC:
National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), Institute of
Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from
http://whatworks.ed.gov
Geist, K., Geist, E. A., and Kuznik, K. (2012). The patterns of music: Young children learning
mathematics through beat, rhythm, and melody. Young Children, 74-79.
HHS/ACF/ACYF/OHS (2008). Finding the math in books: Ideas for teaching staff. Retrieved
from http://eclkc.hos.acf.hhs.gov
Morgan, P., Farkas, G. and Wu, Q. (2011). Kindergarten children’s growth trajectories in reading
and mathematics: Who falls increasingly behind?” Journal of Learning Disabilities , 44,
472 – 488.
National Research Council. (2009). Mathematics Learning in Early Childhood: Paths Toward
Excellence and Equity. Committee on Early Childhood Mathematics, Christopher T.
Cross, Taniesha A. Woods, and Heidi Schweingruber, Editors. Center for Education,
Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The
National Academies Press.
Rudd, L.C., Satterwhite, M., & Lambert, M. C. (2010). One, two, buckle my shoe: Using math
mediated language in preschool. Dimensions of Early Childhood, 38 (2), 30-38.
Sarama, Julie, Lange, Alissa, Clements, Douglas H., & Wolfe, Christopher B. (2012). The
impacts of an early mathematics curriculum on emerging literacy and language. Early
Childhood Research Quarterly, 27, 489-502.
Sawyers, K. & Hutson-Brandhagen, J. (2004). Music and math: How do we make the connection
for preschoolers? Childcare Exchange , 46-49.
Schröder, A. & Ritterfeld, U. (2015). Children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) need
qualitatively enriched interactions to successfully partake in mathematics Education.
International Journal of Technology and Inclusive Education, 4 (1), 583-591.
Vandermaas-Peeler, Boomgarden, Finn & Pittard, (2012). Parental support of numeracy during a
cooking activity with four-year-old. International Journal of Early Years Education, 20
(1), 78-93.