Short Blocks

Maths Reception Summer Clever Counting

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.

Counting on; 1 more/ less (suggested as 5 days)

Maths Out Loud

Counting

Count on together as children pass the teddy around the circle, but once the count has passed 10, shout ‘Change!’ Children pass the teddy back around, all counting backwards. ‘Change!’ again at 5, and then at 20.

Number bonds

Show 7 fingers as 4 on one hand and 3 on the other. Say ‘four add three equals seven’ and record as 4 + 3 = 7. Then fold down 3 fingers. Say ‘7 subtract 3 is 4’. Stand up the 3. Say ‘four add three equals seven’. Fold down 4. Say ‘7 subtract 4 is 3’, etc. This is to show that subtraction and addition are inverse operations.

Repeat with other pairs, showing a number on each hand. Children copy the process with their fingers.

Chants/Rhymes/Songs

‘One little elephant went out to play’, e.g. at One little elephant went out to play from www.YouTube.com. Children predict how many elephants there will be each time.

Story

Rooster’s Off to See the World by Eric Carle

How many animals do children think Rooster will meet next?

You Will Need

Exploring and Playing

Chairs, a steering wheel and a bus stop; play people and playground equipment, e.g. swings, slide and roundabout; selection of cars and a ‘car park’; plastic cups/beakers in the sand tray/pit.

Active Learning

A 1 to 20 number track, a teddy, a puppet (optional), 20 biscuits, a plate and tea towel; chair, blanket, 5 lions/tigers, flipchart and pens; 1-20 floor track, teddy, two cards: one with +1, one with -1; Ducks on a pond’ PowerPoint (see resources).

Creating and Thinking Critically

Large sheet of paper for game track; counters; coin; bricks; dice with +1 on three faces and +2 on the other three faces; cubes; large sheet of paper for ladder; a dice with +1, +2, +3, -1, +1, +2 on its faces; a 1-20 floor track (or draw one on the playground); addition and subtraction cards