It is known that reading to your child early on is important to develop their reading skills, but what about teaching them about numbers?

Developing early math skills is important for a child to succeed as an adult. Researchers at the University of Michigan studied seventh graders’ core math skills and found that the ones who fell behind were the same ones who lacked number fluency in the first grade. Children who don’t have number sense before they enter the  first grade tend to struggle with math skills.

Scientists have found teaching a child to think about what numbers are instead of just memorizing numbers is more effective in developing the math skills they will continue to build on later in life. This concept, called “number system knowledge”, introduces fractions, magnitudes and quantities to toddlers by describing shapes, distances and measurements. Attaching numbers to objects also helps children understand quantities.

For more ways to incorporate early math skills into your toddler’s daily routine, visit Zero to Three, the National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families’ Developing Early Math Skills website.