Supporting Older Toddlers’ Learning

Use Math Talk Throughout the Day

Before watching this video, read the text below. When instructed, watch the segment of video beginning at 5:28 and ending at 7:47.

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Older toddlers explore mathematical (and other STEM-related) ideas as they build with blocks and other materials, put similar objects together into collections or arrange them by size, identify shapes in their world and show them with their bodies, and put events in order to tell a story. They may use math and STEM talk as they work out problems that you might help them pose, such as “How many more blocks do we need to complete our building?” or “How do these puzzle pieces fit together?” Math talk and STEM talk, and the hands-on experiences that make it meaningful, helps prepare toddlers for the more symbolic math that they will do when they get to preschool and kindergarten.

Many older toddlers can count to ten or beyond, but they may not fully understand what the numbers mean. For example, they may not think of 7 peanuts as more than 5 elephants or realize that if each elephant gets 1 peanut there will be 2 left over. Similarly, they may not fully realize that when they spread out a clump of 10 peanuts they still have the same amount, even though it may look like more because it seems to cover more space. Number sense develops over time and through many experiences.

• Talk with children about shape, size, and quantity. Use a variety of vocabulary words, such as corner, oval, narrow, enormous, heavier, shrink, inch, exactly, and hundreds. Help children make connections with real-world objects and experiences, for example, octagonal stop signs and the squares they can count within rectangular windows. As you read books, help toddlers understand concepts such as how big or small things really are or how much time things take. Is a caterpillar as big as their finger or yours? How long is the “more than two weeks” that it stayed in the cocoon?
• Talk with children about space and time, order and sequence, patterns and relationships. Help children use math talk to think through problems they are trying to solve, using words such as first, next, before, strategy, predict, tomorrow, and Tuesday. Toddlers who hear explanations, time and sequence words, and other math talk frequently come to see the world as a predictable place where they can make sense out of things if they work at it. They are more likely to develop the mental flexibility, goal-directed behavior, and persistence that helps them cope with future challenges.

You may have noticed children counting, talking about numbers, pointing out that two pictures were the same size, showing numbers with their fingers, naming and exploring numerals, and using other math talk throughout the video. In this segment, you’ll see how Kathy helps toddlers connect her talk of shape and size, bigger and smaller, close together and spread apart with their own actions. You’ll also see how Maria uses the well-rehearsed days of the week sequence to help toddlers mark the time a pretend caterpillar remains in a chrysalis (the children call it a cocoon) before emerging and how she uses an Internet video to show children the real-world cycle of the caterpillar.

Now watch the video segment. Begin at 5:28 as Kathy gathers her group together to make circles with their bodies and watch through the end of the video. As you watch, look for effective strategies used by the educators in the video and jot down answers to this viewing question in your Learning Log.

• What math talk do you notice educators or children using?
• What other math talk opportunities do you see?

Review

How can you help older toddlers connect abstract math and STEM concepts such as number, amount, duration (how long something takes), order, and density with physical experiences?

• You can:
  • Take pictures of children’s activities or learning or creation processes. Help children put the pictures in order and reminisce together or tell the story to family members.
  • Help children understand the scale of things they read about in books by talking about how they compare with real objects or by making chalk outlines on the floor or outside that are approximately life-size.  For example, you might compare a dinosaur’s size with a school bus, make a chalk drawing of its head or tooth, or make dinosaur footprints that children can walk in.
  • During sensory play, cooking, and art/construction projects, give children lots of practice filling containers of various sizes and shapes and using a larger container to fill several smaller ones. Help them make and test predictions about which holds more, will there be enough, how many will fit, and how much they need.
  • Use math talk with children as they help set up and serve snacks. Give each child a turn to be a snack helper who offers others “two pieces” or asks friends how many they want.
  • Ask math questions such as “What comes next in your pattern?” “Will this be big enough?” “Which ones go together?” “How many more do you think we need?”
  • Model problem-solving approaches and strategies. Help children tell what they are trying to do and what they think might work or want to try.
  • Help children talk through steps in a process, such as making play dough or setting the table for a fancy tea party.

What benefits do children gain from math talk?

• Children gain the following benefits:
  • They learn math and problem-solving vocabulary and often learn rich, descriptive vocabulary as well.
  • They practice mathematical thinking and processes such as ordering, comparing, counting, and reasoning.
  • They learn over time that they can make sense out of their world. This helps them to develop mental flexibility, goal-directed behavior, persistence in the face of challenge, and emotional resilience.

How can you make sure that all children get the benefits of math talk?

• You can:
  • Make math talk part of group rituals and daily play and learning activities.
  • Engage individual children in extended conversations that go beyond the here and now. Make time to listen to their stories and help them remember the sequence of events.
  • Let children show what they may have difficulty telling. Give them words for their actions, questions, and discoveries.
  • Some children shine at math and STEM challenges but have weaker language or are less fluent in the language that other children use. Give them a chance to teach others what they know.
  • Make a special effort to include children whose language or mathematical understanding may be less developed than others’ in math talk conversations.

Reflect

Think about the infants in your own program as you answer these reflection questions in your Learning Log.

• How do you incorporate math talk into your daily routines, activities, and interactions with children?
• What did you learn that you will take back to your learning environment and put into practice?