Exploring and Playing
Maths Reception Autumn Comparison and Measures
Hamilton's Reception Maths planning targets the key characteristics of effective early learning:
- Through Exploring and Playing, children independently engage with their peers and their environment.
- Active Learning group activities promote the motivation needed to be involved and to keep trying.
- Guided Creating and Thinking Critically supports development of problem-solving & reasoning skills.
Maths Out Loud: whole-class counting, repetitive chants, rhymes, songs and a linked story to enjoy together.
Comparing lengths (suggested as 5 days)
Active Learning
Creating and Thinking Critically
Maths Out Loud
Counting
Count 10 soft toys into a box.
Take 1 out, saying ‘9 left’. Take out another out saying ‘8’.
Children join in counting back until you reach 0. Show the empty box.
Chants/Rhymes/Songs
Sing ‘Five little speckled frogs’, with 5 children at the front, jumping into a ‘pond’ one at a time. Children agree the number left before continuing.
Or sing along to this animated version of 'Five little speckled frogs' from www.bbc.co.uk. Children hold up the matching number of fingers for each verse.
Story
I’m Coming to Get You by Tony Ross. This is great for discussing how big things are!
You Will Need
Exploring and Playing
Chalk or tape; two play railway stations; curved and straight railway track pieces; tape measures; baby dolls of different lengths; different length construction brick.
Active Learning
3 different length snakes in 3 different colours; sticky-tack; flip-chart; access to leaves outside; glue sticks; paper; play dough; cubes; 30cm rulers; bean bag.
Creating and Thinking Critically
3 different size teddies; 2 different length ‘blankets’ (pieces of cloth) and scarves; access to the playground; playground chalk; a paper snake for each child; crayons (all the same length); paint; brushes; newspaper; long strips of paper for the crossroads; paper for traffic lights; lots of similar-sized cars.
Comparing measures directly (suggested as 5 days)
Exploring and Playing
Active Learning
Creating and Thinking Critically
Maths Out Loud
Counting
Hang numbers 1-10 on washing line and count along the line.
Turn over 4 of the numbers. Point to missing numbers in turn and ask children to suggest what is missing, count along the line to check.
Now turn the cards back around.
Repeat with 4 other numbers.
Chants/Rhymes/Songs
Sing ‘One potato, two potato’. You could sing along with this animated version of 'One potato, two potato' from www.YouTube.co.uk.
Story
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle.
Use this to stimulate discussion about the comparative heights of different plants and flowers. This flower is very tall (sunflowers) or this flower is short (daisy or dandelion) etc.
You Will Need
Exploring and Playing
Sandpit/ tray; a range of buckets and containers/ moulds; construction equipment; soft toy animals; tape measures; water tray; up to 10 of 2 different coloured fish.
Active Learning
Large plastic bricks (of the sort used outside); flipchart; number washing line (1-10 number cards, pegs and washing line); 3 teddies of different heights; large cubes; cards with 1, 2, 3... 10 spots and numbers on the reverse (see resources); cubes.
Creating and Thinking Critically
30cm ruler; whiteboards and pens; 1-6 numeral dice; cubes/bricks; 1-10 dice; 3 birthday cards (or pictures) with ages 3, 6 and 10 on them; washing line with numbers 1 to 10; Spotty number cards (see resources); cubes.
Introducing time (suggested as 5 days)
Exploring and Playing
Active Learning
Creating and Thinking Critically
Maths Out Loud
Counting
Give each child a number card: beginning with the number 1, up to the number of children in class. Count around the class, with children raising their cards and putting them down again like a Mexican wave. Count back from the highest number.
Chants/Rhymes/Songs
Days of the week song, e.g. Mr R's Days of the Week Sing-along Song from www.YouTube.com.
Story
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle or Mr Wolf’s Week by Colin Hawkins.
You Will Need
Exploring and Playing
A variety of sand timers (e.g. 30s, 1min, 2mins, 3 mins); plastic cups/small buckets of making sandcastles; access to the sandpit/tray; a range of timers in the role play kitchen area; a variety of play foods, e.g. eggs, vegetables, cakes, ready-meal packets; stopwatches; access to the outside area including bikes; old watches or pictures of watches cut out from a catalogue; collage materials and tape.
Active Learning
A story book which has days of the week; washing line and pegs; days of the week on cards; a one-minute sand timer, IWB/flipchart and pens, building blocks; flipchart and pen; saucepan, access to water, egg timer (e.g. 4 minutes), and egg and bread to toast for each child a toaster, access to a hob, butter, plates, cutlery.
Creating and Thinking Critically
Washing line and pegs; Days of the week cards (see Active Learning resources); puppet; a story book which has days of the week; a clock with a second hand; one-minute timer.