
What Is Strewing?
Learn about this educational technique and how it can benefit children's learning.
Picture | Activity | Hands-On Activities | Early Learning Goals | Downloads |
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Activity 1Counting |
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Activity 1Counting |
Developing numeracy skills in children is essential and can be achieved through various engaging activities that promote counting and one-to-one correspondence. The content emphasizes the importance of practice and enjoyment in learning these foundational skills without pressure. The lesson plan discusses the importance of developing numeracy skills in children, highlighting key areas such as counting, number recognition, and one-to-one correspondence. It suggests that children should be allowed time to practice these skills in a pressure-free environment. Engaging activities like singing rhymes can help reinforce counting skills, with examples provided such as 'Alice the camel' and '5 little ducks.' Tips for developing one-to-one correspondence include ensuring children count in the correct order and using visual aids like lined objects. The content also offers practical counting opportunities, such as counting stationary objects, moving objects, sounds, and actions. A fun activity called 'Find & Count' encourages children to search for hidden objects and count them, fostering both counting and problem-solving skills. Additionally, comparing numbers through grouping objects helps children understand quantity differences. |
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Activity 2Number Recognition |
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Activity 2Number Recognition |
Understanding numbers as symbols for quantities is crucial for children's early mathematical development, and engaging activities can facilitate this learning process. The author emphasizes the importance of enjoyable, pressure-free practices that allow children to explore numbers at their own pace. The lesson plan focuses on the importance of helping children recognize numbers as symbols for quantities rather than random shapes. It outlines several activities to support this learning, such as creating personalized number cards, practicing one-to-one correspondence with objects, and grouping quantities. The author suggests that enjoyable number activities can enhance children's understanding of numbers. For instance, children can use stickers or crayons to represent numbers on cards they create. Another suggested activity involves placing the correct number of objects next to corresponding number cards, which can be done with various materials. The content also highlights the significance of verbal counting and recognizing patterns in counting systems. Writing numbers in sensory materials and tracing dotted lines are recommended methods to help children practice writing numbers. Overall, the content provides practical strategies for parents to support their children's early numeracy skills. |
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Activity 3Number Lines |
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Activity 3Number Lines |
The lesson plan emphasizes the importance of understanding numbers and provides engaging methods for children to learn number lines and counting. It advocates for hands-on activities that enhance children's numerical skills through interactive play and exploration. The lesson plan outlines educational goals for children regarding their understanding of numbers up to 10, including recognizing quantities without counting and recalling number bonds. It suggests various creative activities to create a number line, such as using natural objects, chalk drawings, or themed images. Parents are encouraged to engage their children in ordering numbers, identifying missing numbers, and counting forwards and backwards using the number line. The content also highlights the importance of physical interaction with numbers, suggesting outdoor activities where children can step on a large chalk number line. Overall, the focus is on making learning fun and interactive to foster a deep understanding of basic numerical concepts. |
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Activity 4Dice Games |
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Activity 4Dice Games |
The lesson plan provides engaging and interactive activities designed to enhance children's understanding of numbers and basic arithmetic through the use of dice games. It emphasizes hands-on learning and personalizes educational experiences to cater to individual abilities. The lesson plan outlines various dice games aimed at helping children develop their numerical skills and understanding of basic arithmetic. Activities include making personalized dice, where children can draw or write specific numbers to match their current learning level. One suggested game involves rolling the dice and placing counters under the corresponding numbers, encouraging counting and comparison of rolled numbers. Another game, 'Collecting Coins,' involves rolling the dice to determine how many coins to collect, promoting counting and addition skills. The 'Roll & Colour' activity combines art and math by having children colour shapes based on the numbers rolled. Additionally, there are activities designed for children who are more confident in counting, such as rolling two dice to find the total or combining a numbered die with a spotted die for addition practice. These games aim to make learning fun and interactive, fostering a deeper understanding of numbers. |
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Activity 5Playdough Maths |
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Activity 5Playdough Maths |
The lesson plan emphasizes the importance of hands-on activities using playdough to enhance children's understanding of numbers and shapes. It presents various engaging methods for children to learn mathematical concepts through play and creativity. The lesson plan outlines several educational activities designed to help children develop a deep understanding of numbers up to 10 and recognize quantities without counting. It suggests using playdough to create different 2D shapes, encouraging children to match their creations with images. Activities include using cutters or a modelling knife to form shapes, rolling playdough into balls to create shapes with matchsticks, and arranging shapes to make pictures. Another suggested activity, 'Splat the Dough,' involves rolling playdough balls and using dice to practice counting and subtraction. Children can also engage in number correspondence by placing playdough balls into containers labelled with numbers. Additionally, the content introduces the concept of making imprints in playdough using various objects, allowing children to count while creating imprints based on number cards. |
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Activity 6Shapes And Patterns |
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Activity 6Shapes And Patterns |
The lesson plan emphasizes the importance of hands-on activities in helping children understand numbers, shapes, and patterns through play. It advocates for interactive learning methods that engage children in exploring mathematical concepts in a fun and creative way. The lesson plan outlines various educational strategies for teaching young children about numbers, shapes, and patterns. It highlights the importance of understanding numbers up to 10, including composition and comparison of quantities. Activities such as subitising, where children recognize quantities without counting, are encouraged. The content suggests exploring shapes through play by counting sides and discussing shapes found in everyday objects. It recommends using sensory materials like sand and shaving cream to create shapes, as well as making 2D shapes with sticks. Additionally, it encourages cutting shapes from coloured paper to create pictures. For patterns, the content suggests creating patterns for children to continue using different shapes and colours, employing materials like stickers and blocks. Symmetry is introduced through a painting activity that involves folding paper to reveal mirrored designs. Overall, the content aims to foster early learning goals through engaging and interactive methods. |
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Activity 7Comparing Measurements |
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Activity 7Comparing Measurements |
The lesson plan emphasizes the importance of hands-on learning in early education, particularly in understanding measurements and comparisons through engaging activities. It advocates for using non-standard units and materials to foster children's mathematical skills and comprehension of size and quantity. The lesson plan outlines various educational activities designed to enhance children's understanding of numbers and measurements. It highlights the importance of recognizing quantities without counting and comparing them in different contexts. The document suggests using non-standard units for measurement, such as cubes and craft sticks, and provides guidelines for effective measuring practices. Children are encouraged to measure objects related to their interests, such as toy cars, and to discuss their findings. The content also includes early learning goals focused on ordering sizes and comparing quantities through hands-on activities. Suggestions for engaging children include building towers with blocks to compare heights and quantities. The overall aim is to create a fun and interactive learning environment that promotes mathematical reasoning. |
To use the free reception maths activities from Hands-On Education, start by selecting one of the seven topics offered, such as Counting, Number Recognition, or Shapes and Patterns. Each topic includes detailed activity suggestions tailored to early learning goals, such as developing number sense, understanding measurements, or exploring shapes. Download the associated activity plans and resources if available, and follow the step-by-step instructions. These activities often include interactive elements like rhymes, playdough modelling, or dice games to make learning engaging and hands-on. Incorporate these activities into your teaching or home-learning routine to help children grasp mathematical concepts in a fun and pressure-free environment.
To develop children's early counting and number skills, a variety of hands-on resources and tools can be utilized to make learning engaging and effective. Activities like block play help children understand the conservation of numbers, which is essential for mathematical calculations. Similarly, outdoor games involving targets or scoring points provide opportunities for practising counting, reading, and writing numbers in an interactive environment. These activities foster foundational skills through play and exploration.
Specific tools such as board games, dice, number tracks, dominoes, and Numicon are widely used to enhance early numeracy skills. These resources allow children to visualize numbers, practice one-to-one correspondence, and develop an understanding of numerical relationships in a fun and pressure-free manner. Additionally, activities like junk modelling and block play introduce children to shapes and their properties, further enriching their mathematical understanding.
Play-based activities also integrate mathematical concepts like measurement and capacity. For example, children can compare objects' sizes or measure using non-standard units like cubes or craft sticks. These interactive experiences not only build early counting skills but also encourage problem-solving and reasoning, laying a strong foundation for future mathematical learning.
Concepts like capacity are introduced through play activities that involve comparing and contrasting objects based on weight, length, and volume. For example, children can measure liquids using different containers or compare the weight of objects using non-standard units like blocks or sticks. These hands-on activities help children understand measurement in a tangible and engaging way.
Shapes and their properties are explored through creative activities such as making 2D shapes with sticks, cutting shapes from coloured paper, or identifying shapes in everyday objects. Children also learn about symmetry by creating mirrored designs through painting activities. These interactive tasks encourage recognition and understanding of both basic and complex shapes.
Number conservation is introduced through activities like block play, where children rearrange objects while observing that the total quantity remains unchanged. This concept is reinforced through counting games and grouping exercises, helping children grasp fundamental numerical principles in a playful and pressure-free environment.
Number conservation activities are designed to help reception-aged pupils understand that the quantity of objects remains the same even when their arrangement changes. These activities are engaging, hands-on, and encourage exploration of this foundational mathematical concept.
These activities not only build number conservation skills but also enhance counting accuracy, problem-solving abilities, and early mathematical reasoning in a playful and engaging manner.
Teaching shape recognition through play can be both fun and educational, using a variety of creative activities that engage children in hands-on learning. One effective method is a Shape Hunt, where children search for shapes in their environment, such as spotting circular plates or rectangular books, helping them connect shapes to real-world objects. Another engaging activity is the Shape Sorting Game, where children group objects like buttons or blocks based on their shapes, reinforcing their ability to identify and categorize shapes.
Art-based activities also work well for shape recognition. For example, Playdough Shape Creations encourage children to mold playdough into different shapes like triangles or squares, combining creativity with tactile learning. Similarly, a Shape Collage Art activity allows children to cut out and assemble shapes from coloured paper or magazines into creative designs, fostering both artistic expression and shape awareness. Additionally, Shape Stamping, using sponges dipped in paint, provides a colourful way to explore and recognize various shapes.
For more active learning, try a Shape Obstacle Course, where children jump or crawl through outlines of shapes taped on the floor, combining physical activity with shape identification. Outdoor activities like the Shape Nature Walk, where children find shapes in leaves or rocks, or a Shape Maze, created with chalk on the pavement, add an adventurous element to shape recognition. These playful approaches make learning about shapes interactive and enjoyable for young learners.
The Early Learning Goals (ELGs) define the developmental milestones children are expected to achieve by the end of the reception year within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework. These goals cover seven areas of learning, grouped into three prime areas—Communication and Language, Physical Development, and Personal, Social, and Emotional Development—and four specific areas, including Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World, and Expressive Arts and Design. Each goal provides a benchmark for assessing a child's progress and readiness for Year 1, focusing on holistic development across cognitive, social, emotional, and physical domains.
In Mathematics, for example, children are expected to count reliably with numbers from 1 to 20, perform basic addition and subtraction using objects or numbers, and solve problems involving doubling, halving, or sharing. They should also use everyday language to describe size, weight, capacity, and other measures while recognizing patterns and understanding spatial relationships. Similarly, in Literacy, children demonstrate their ability to read simple sentences and write words that match their spoken sounds. These benchmarks ensure children are equipped with foundational skills for future academic success.
Assessment against the ELGs is based on teachers' professional judgment supported by observations of children's activities and contributions from parents or carers. Children are categorized as either meeting the expected level ('expected') or working below it ('emerging'). The ELGs emphasize inclusive practices by considering diverse needs, including those of children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) or those whose first language is not English. This approach ensures that all children receive the support they need to transition smoothly into Year 1 and continue their learning journey effectively.